Famous for hosting events such as the International Horse Show and the Great British Beer Festival, the enormous Olympia exhibition centre is to undergo a £1bn transformation (Jonathan Morrison writes).
The hope is to turn the Victorian venue into a world-beating cultural venue and help London compete for large trade shows against Frankfurt and Paris.
Under plans drawn up by Heatherwick Studio (run by Thomas Heatherwick, designer of the 2012 Olympic cauldron and aborted Garden Bridge plan) and SPPARC architects, a 1,500-seat theatre and 1,000-seat performance space will be constructed, alongside a cinema, jazz club, two hotels, offices and studios for the creative industries.
