Heatherwick Studio’s plans for Olympia London, the 150-year old exhibition, event space and conference centre in West Kensington have been approved by planners at Hammersmith and Fulham Council today.

Working with SPPARC, the project will transform the 14-acre site into a destination with restaurants, hotels, performance venues and office space, and create 2.5 acres of new public space.

The transformation will begin next year with the first tenants expected to move in by 2023.

Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio, said: “We’re excited to have the opportunity to work on this important but neglected piece of historic London, transforming Olympia into a revitalized place, not only for exhibitions but also for arts, culture, and entertainment. Celebrating the original architectural innovation of the 132-year old exhibition halls, our vision aims to enhance the public experience of the site by creating over 2 acres of new publicly-accessible space for visitors and the local community to enjoy.”

Eliot Postma, Group Leader at Heatherwick Studio, said: “Whilst Olympia is already much-loved, we’ve worked on finding a way to make the site more generous to its neighbours and equally, more efficient. Through a series of simple yet strategic moves, we’ve come up with a plan that opens the site up, improves service facilities, and creates new public spaces, bringing the site into a new era of use.”

Find the full press pack available to download here.