Handball Arena

Where is it?

The Handball Arena will be towards the west of the Olympic Park, to the south of the Hockey Centre, within four minutes of the Olympic Village.

Getting ready

The team that will design the Handball Arena is Make Architects with PTW and Ove Arup and Partners. The designs will be chosen this year with a planning application due to be submitted in September 2008. Building will finish in 2011 in time for test events before the Games.

Two bus garages on the site are now empty and a third is being vacated in the spring. One of the empty garages is being demolished, starting with removing fixtures and fittings.

While it is being prepared for construction, the area is home to the North Site Treatment Centre, which is washing around 750 tonnes of soil a day. This will speed up once a second machine is installed and in operation by the spring.

During the Games

The Arena will host Handball preliminaries and quarter finals, as well as Modern Pentathlon disciplines, during the Olympic Games. It will also be the venue for Goalball during the Paralympic Games.

Facilities required for the Games but not afterwards may be provided in temporary accommodation that is hired and taken back by the supplier after the Games.

After the Games

After the Games the Handball Arena will be adapted to become a multi-sport arena for community use, athlete training and small-to-medium scale events. Retractable seating will be used to make the most of the usable area when events are not taking place. Space will be retained around the venue for temporary warm-up and broadcasting areas.