Commonly known as the Copper Box due to its recycled copper cladding, the arena will host the handball events to the quarter finals, the fencing of the Modern Pentathlon and goalball during the Paralympics.

The design of the venue was developed by focussing on the legacy requirements of the building. In legacy mode the venue will become a community sports centre able to accommodate a variety of sports with the flexibility of the retractable seating allowing the space to accommodate between 7,000 to 3,000 spectators during sporting events.

The arena has been designed to maximise energy efficiency; 88 light pipes fitted within the roof minimise the need for electric lighting and collecting rain water for flushing toilets reduces water use by up to 40%.

Architecture:
MAKE Architects www.makearchitects.com
PTW (Sports Architect) www.ptw.com.au 

Contractor:
Buckingham Group Contracting www.buckinghamgroup.co.uk

Consultants:
Populous (Detailed Design) www.populous.com

Engineering:
Arup www.arup.com
Sinclair Knight Merz (Structural Engineer) www.skmconsulting.com 

Signage and Wayfinding:
Populous Activate www.populousactivate.com

Completion date:
May 2011

Lifespan:
Permanent

Capacity:
7,000 – 3,000 with flexible retractable seating (Temporary 2012)
Up to 6,000 seats (Legacy mode)

Key materials:
Concrete, Steel, 3000 sq m copper cladding

Cost:
£ 41 million

Built area:
16,450 sq m (2,750 sq m field of play)

Location:
Stratford, London, E20 2ST