Philippine Arena
The Philippine Arena is the world's largest indoor arena.[8] It is a multipurpose indoor arena with a maximum seating capacity of 55,000 at Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-hectare (350-acre) tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines[9] about 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of Manila. It is one of the centerpieces of the many centennial projects[10] of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) for their centennial celebration on July 27, 2014.[11] The legal owner of the arena is the INC's educational institution, New Era University.[12] The arena is officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest mixed-use indoor theater in the world on July 27, 2014.[13]
Location
5 North Luzon Express Terminal
55,000 (Eat Bulaga!: Sa Tamang Panahon, October 24, 2015)[2]
220 m × 170 m (720 ft × 560 ft)[3]
August 17, 2011
May 30, 2014
July 21, 2014
65 m (213 ft)[3]
227 m × 179 m (745 ft × 587 ft)
4
36,443.6 m2 (392,276 sq ft)[3]
55,000[7]
It is sometimes advertised to be located in Manila on promotional materials of international events as its location is within the Greater Manila Area.
History
Construction
In 2011, South Korean firm, Hanwha Engineering and Construction won the contract to manage the construction of the Philippine Arena. Hanwha outbested bids from Filipino firm, EEI Corporation an done on August 17, 2011.[14] Hanwha announced that it had completed the construction of the indoor arena on May 30, 2014.[8] The venue was not formally inaugurated until almost two months later.
Inauguration
The Philippine Arena, along with Ciudad de Victoria was officially inaugurated on July 21, 2014. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo unveiled the marker of Ciudad de Victoria.[15]
Building details
Concept
The initial design concept of the Philippine arena is inspired by the narra tree, the mother tree of the Philippines, and the root of the banyan tree.[16] The roof was inspired by that of a Nipa Hut.[17]
Architecture
Populous, a global mega-architecture firm, designed the arena through their office in Brisbane, Australia.[18] The official website of the sports facility describe's the structure's architectural style as Modernist.[19] The arena has been master planned to enable at least 50,000 people to gather inside the building and a further 50,000 to gather at a ‘live site’ or plaza outside to share in major events.[18] The seating bowl of the arena is a one-sided bowl and is partitioned into two parts, the upper and the lower bowl each with approximately 25,000 seating capacity. The lower bowl is the most used part of the building and the architectural design allows for easy separation of the lower bowl from the upper tier, by curtaining with acoustic and thermal properties. A retractable seating of 2,000 people capacity is also installed behind the stage which is used by the choir of the Iglesia ni Cristo for events of the church.[3]
The seating layout of the arena is different from that of a standard arena where the stage is at the middle and is surrounded by seats. The seating of the arena closely resembles that of a Greek amphitheater, built in a semi-circle with the seats at the sides and front of the arena stage. The seatings are divided into three sections. Each of the sections are colored green, white and red: the colors of the Iglesia ni Cristo flag.[20]
The arena has four floors or levels. Level 1 is the stage level, Level 2 is the main access level open to the general viewing public, Level 3 is the VIP area which also houses conference rooms with views facing the main plaza outside the indoor arena building, and Level 4 is the upper concourse.[3]
Furthermore, contractor Hanwha hired their own architecture firm, Haeanh Architects for the project.[3]
