Tensile Fabric Canopy Theatre Concourse

• Reconfigurable, modular canopies
• Acoustic and thermal performance
• Fabric membrane with colour wash lighting

A tensile fabric canopy with high acoustic performance and a touch of Swedish design was the brief at the ABBA Arena, the purpose-built home of ABBA Voyage. This pioneering building is designed to be fully demountable, reconfigurable and easy to erect. Ideal for tensile fabric structures which offer maximum flexibility and architectural impact.

Designers Stufish wanted to create a building which felt ‘like a mysterious and intriguing object has landed on the East London site’. At its heart is a 3000 seat, timber, Brutalist inspired, hexagonal theatre structure surrounded by modular tensile fabric canopies to form the front of house concourse. Designed to be modular, the tensile membrane canopy structures can be repositioned or increased/decreased in number to fit each individual site.

Alongside flexibility and aesthetic impact, there was also a need for the tensile membrane to provide acoustic performance. The front of house area forms the main greeting and gathering space meaning acoustic insulation was a must. Working with our client, Stage One and the wider project team, we specified the use of a weldable PVC foam which gives both thermal and acoustic insulation to improve comfort levels within the space, without compromising on architectural impact. By using PVC, we ensured the canopies would travel well and that ongoing dismantle and reinstallation would not be detrimental to the architectural membrane.

The fully immersive experience starts from the moment you arrive on site. The front of house canopies are fitted with colour changing LED lighting which washes over the architectural fabric membrane, making each individual city’s experience unique.