Who will build the arena? Shortlist announced

George Ferguson has revealed that the design teams behind the Eden Project and the London Olympic Stadium are in the running to build the Bristol arena.

He also said that, subject to final negotiations and cabinet approval, a preferred operator for the arena will be selected and is likely to be announced in December.

Mr Ferguson made the announcement at his annual State of the City address. The shortlist was compiled after an international competition to find the best designs. More than 30 teams from across the world expressed an interest in designing the 12,000 seat arena, but the final five are:

• Grimshaw Architects LLP; the architects of the Eden Project
• Idom Ingeniería y Consultoría; who designed Bilbao Arena in Spain
• Populous; the architects of the London Olympic Stadium
• White Arkitekter; architects for Kiruna city plan in Sweden
• Wilkinson Eyre; who are the architects of the Liverpool Arena

We will get to see all five design proposals in a public exhibition will take place in January and a decision will be made in March 2015.

‘Important milestone’

A report recommending a preferred and reserve operator for the arena is due to go to cabinet in December. The operator will maintain and manage the arena for the duration the 25-year lease.

George Ferguson said: “We are at an important milestone in the development of Bristol’s new entertainment arena.

“I am confident that the new arena will provide one of the very best experiences for audiences and major acts and that it will make a huge contribution to the regeneration of the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. This takes us a couple of major steps closer to a 2017 delivery of this much needed venue for the city region.”

Lynne Sullivan, of the Royal Institute of British Architects, said the “quality of the competition submissions was extraordinarily good” and she is confident the short list “will bring the right combination of experience and inspiration to the final selection of the Bristol Arena design team.”

Colin Skellet, chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This important development will bring economic benefits, jobs and growth to the city region.”

‘Living wage’ build

Labour councillor for Windmill Hill Sam Mongon has called for the arena to be a “living wage project” and has demanded that apprentices should be “working in the arena from day one”.

“It’s important that we spread the benefits of the arena by passing on skills and trades in Bristol’s communities,” he added.

Lawrence Hill councillor Marg Hickman said: “I have repeatedly called on the mayor to ensure both the arena and Enterprise Zone comes with training programmes and a living wage that will allow Bristolians from the inner city to have the confidence and skills to take up jobs.

“The arena should benefit the communities it sits in.”

Pictures in order: Liverpool arena, Kiruna city plan, Eden Project, Bilboa arena, and the London Olympic stadium