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O2 Arena

To advise on people movement for the O2 Arena

Background

The O2 Arena in London is the world’s most successful music and entertainment venue. It includes an arena with a seating capacity of 20,000, an 11-screen cinema, two exhibition galleries, restaurants and clubs. The operator of the site, AEG Europe, was seeking to submit a planning application to introduce a number of additional venues under the same roof. Movement Strategies was commissioned to review people movement in the entertainment district and outside the Arena. We were to consider the implications of the proposals on circulation and movement patterns, highlighting any areas of concern and identifying recommended mitigation measures.


LOCATION
 
London


Client

AEG Europe


Year

2009 - present

WHAT WE DID

Our evidence-based approach consisted of a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the proposed plan, building on our expert knowledge of comfort standards and people movement behaviour in the context of an entertainment and retail venue.
Our methodology included:

  • Monitoring and observing of pedestrian flows in all key areas
  • Development of demand forecasts associated with the future venues
  • Definition of tailored design standards
  • Review of design proposals for new walkways and circulation areas
  • Capacity analysis of routes to assess future crowd densities
  • We also undertook post-expansion observations to confirm that the movement patterns and densities occurred as forecasted, and that the resulted visitor experience was in the design standards.

RESULTS

Our report included recommendations to identify risks to visitor safety or experience, and found many new opportunities for commercialisation within the public spaces.

This included the recommended location, type and layout of ‘activation zones’, and a potential new area for retail, food and beverage units that have the greatest potential to be revenue generators, based on visitor footfall and lines of sight.

We also made recommendations to alleviate capacity constraints by removing of street furniture and implementing a management strategy, to be employed for the peak Arena egress scenario. The study supported AEG Europe’s planning process by providing a detailed insight into future people movement patterns and business development opportunities.

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