January 12 2024

Live entertainment specialist AEG has shared its initial proposals for Edinburgh Park Arena, an 8,500-seat venue planned for 14,900sq/m of scrubland at the evolving edge of town business park.

Heralded as a major step toward rebalancing the office district toward a more leisure-focused economy the 18,500 sqm building would provide a new home for mid-scale concerts, sports and comedy events - but not seek to dethrone the Hydro in the west.

Slotting into a broader Parabola masterplan the arena will take advantage of a 4m drop in levels to tuck servicing underneath the public areas. The reconfigurable main hall will include retractable seating for mixed seating and standing capacity catering to the needs of specific shows.

Drawing inspiration from Salisbury Crags the auditorium will be skinned in a precast stone effect wall fitted with 'metal crags', vertical planting troughs and acoustic panels. This aesthetic extends to a ribbed podium perimeter wall which bounds the hard landscaped grounds to serve as a circulation and gathering space.

Outlining the massing approach the applicant wrote: "Efficient internal programming of the venue in response to the site’s immediate neighbours and connections has been at the forefront of the design, and has enabled a reduction in its perceived scale. The larger auditorium volume in the main is set back from the lower and more public-facing elevations. All roof-mounted mechanical and electrical equipment is screened from public view by the main architectural ‘wrap’."

At 30m the HOK-designed arena will target a BREEAM Excellent rating. 

7 Comments

#1 Posted by Giggity on 12 Jan 2024 at 10:27 AM

Well.

Sounds pleasurable.

#2 Posted by Ribbed for her pleasure on 12 Jan 2024 at 13:17 PM

That looks absolutely horrific! So daft!

#3 Posted by Pawelofthrift on 14 Jan 2024 at 12:57 PM

Hold on. The fancier the building, the more more the building costs to make. And that investment has to be paid back, via consumer.

#4 Posted by KLD on 15 Jan 2024 at 09:57 AM

I can understand keeping a building fairly simple and basic to cut down on costs. I don't understand adding the "ribbing" which looks awful and presumably costs more.

#5 Posted by Lon Chaney on 15 Jan 2024 at 18:05 PM

The only point to this carry on is to make money. All they are selling is a scaled up product among all the merch crap. But who cares any more anyway? There's no fat on a smartphone and some earplugs. Go figure. You don't need a building. Just subscribe and drop out.

#6 Posted by Planner on 16 Jan 2024 at 09:40 AM

Notice of rejection.

#7 Posted by SneckieMun on 17 Jan 2024 at 13:43 PM

Yes! Lets take the concert industry out of the city centre, away from all the associated pubs and restaurants (so they don't get too busy) to an out of town retail/office park with ample car parking so everyone can drive to the gigs. The American dream is here.

Wait.........

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