Name: Cherlyn B.

Pugosa BSN-1 Date: October 17, 2018

Teacher: Mr. John Cyril Pagatpat

Aesthetics on Steel: Knowing the World’s Largest Indoor Arena

Standing proud and reaching the shy high! The Philippine Arena is indeed a
marvel to behold.

Photo credited to Populous

Located 35 kilometers away from the congested capital, the Philippine Arena was
built in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue Bulacan. The building became the wonder of any
passers by both locals and the foreign as its massiveness easily attracts attention. With
its diameter and structural design, the Philippine Arena can also hold entertainment and
sports events and other big affairs for the country.

Eduardo V. Manalo, the Executive Minister of Iglesia Ni Cristo which is listed as

one of the largest religious groups in the Philippines and the grandson of the founder of
INC, spearheaded the ground-breaking ceremony last August 17, 2011. It was also then
when Manalo unveiled the name of the arena, the Philippine Arena.
 The Philippine Arena was built for the centennial anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo
which was celebrated last July 27, 2014 and just first among all the centennial projects
of Iglesia ni Cristo in Ciudad de Victoria,

World Class Contractors

Huge names in the field of engineering and architecture were behind the design
and actual construction of the Philippine Arena. These huge engineering and
architectural companies have proven their skills and capabilities with the different
landmarks not only in Asia but also around the world.

First in the list is the Populous Company who was tasked to produce the concept
design for the arena as well as the designs of well-known structures in the world
including the Wimbley Stadium in United Kingdom, Melbourne Cricket Ground in
Australia, Queensland Tennis Centre, Taipei Dome and Taipei Dome to name a few.

Architect Andrew James, the Director of the Asian and Australian Office of
Populous, stated during the inauguration that Philippine Arena was “such an ambitious
project and so unusual…” and that he was excited for the project for no one else has
design a structure as big as the Philippine Arena before.

The façade of the Philippine Arena designed by Populous

 The structural engineers of the arena were also notable for their works including
the Hongkong International Airport, Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hongkong
Government Offices at Tamar and Austin and West Kowloon. Buro Happold
Engineering led by their Group Director Engineer Chris Sparrow was in charge in the
structural plan of the arena.

South Korea’s Hanhwa Engineering and Construction Corporation, another

world-class contractor was tasked to manage both the design and construction of the
arena. Hanwha’s notable works includes Ansan Sports Complex, Korea Seoul Central
Post, Haeundae Hanwa and Korea KINTEX Exhibition Center to name a few.

Arena’s design by Hanwha E&C

Structure and Design

Philippine Arena which can house a minimum of 50,000 up to 55,000 people was
twice as big as the largest arena in the United States, the Staples Center, L.A and in
Europe, the O2 Arena London which has a seating capacity of 21,000 and 20,000
respectively. It stands 62 meter long or 203 feet high and roof raging to 243 meters in
diameter. Conventionally, buildings were constructed from the bottom portion up to the
top however; Philippine Arena was constructed from top (excluding the roof for it was
formed last) to bottom portion to ensure durability and for the limited schedule.

Photo credited from Populous

The country’s National Tree or the Narra Tree was the motivation for the initial
design of the arena according to the Hanhwa E&C. Meanwhile, according to Populous,
the thatched roof of Philippine’s traditional house or the Nipa Hut was used as an
inspiration for the arena’s roof design.

Unlike the usual arena in which seats were placed around the main stage, the
arena has designed like an ancient Greek amphitheatre where seats were drawn back
having a complete and convenient view of the grand stage in front.
 The interior of Philippine Arena (above) and an ancient Greek Amphitheatre (below)

The arena was also designed to withstand different natural calamities such as
typhoons and earthquakes that frequented the Philippines for the past couple of years.
Hanwha E&C strengthened the building by applying various earthquake resistance
technologies such as equipping the arena with 7,900 tons of reinforced steel bar and
quake roof LRB (Lead Rubber Bearing) to withstand 7.0-7.5 magnitude earthquakes by
allowing the structures to move independently or to just “dance or sway” when there is
tremor from the earthquake. Moreover, sheer walls and moment frames were also
applied as well to withstand typhoon and strong winds. Hanwha even performed various
tests based on the typhoon data from the past 50 years and applied to the roof of the
arena to examine its strength against typhoons. Furthermore, the countless emergency
exit points on the Philippine Arena made evacuation easy and fast. Arch. Andrew
James stated from his calculations that people inside the arena can evacuate outside
the building with 4-6 minutes time frame.

With the country’s crisis when it comes to electricity, Philippine arena was
equipped with backup power plants that would supply up to 100% of the power load
which would be beneficial for events such as concerts, sporting events or another
centennial celebration.

Photo credited from Populous

Air conditions were also placed in the arena supplying an average temperature of
25 degrees centigrade which according to Chris Sparrow “…is world class standard for
this [Philippine Arena] particular building.”
Span of the Construction

From the year of ground-breaking (2011) and the centennial anniversary of

Iglesia ni Cristo (2014), the contractors of the arena were forced to worked behind
extremely fit schedule. As the centennial year of Iglesia ni Cristo was approaching,
workers work double time to catch up with the limited span of time. The normal
construction of a structure as large as the Philippine Arena is 30 up to 36 months;
however, they were only given 24 months to complete the project.

Photo credited to Populous. After the first month (above) and fifth month (below) of the
construction

Mr. Jose Acuzar, the Chairman of New San Jose Builders stated that the
foundation of the arena which is supposed to be completed after one and a half year is
however shortened to three months. He stated that the construction workers work day
and night alternately to accommodate the time frame. The short span of the
construction of the arena made it one of the fastest construction timelines in history.
Construction Value

Populous reported on their website that the arena cost an AUD $200M while the
Korean Herald, South Korean news outlet, as well as the Hanwha Engineering and
Construction reported that they signed $175M contract (7.6 billion pesos) for the project.

The total cost of the construction of the arena worth a staggering 9.4 billion
pesos as reported by Inquierer.net.

World Records

With it huge area and seating capacity, the Philippine Arena was proclaimed as
the Largest Mixed-use indoor Theatre in the world by Guinness Book of World Records.

The Philippine Arena is the country’s prestige showing humans overcome

impossibilities. It is crafted from both knowledge and creativity to outsmart all odds to
achieve one of the aesthetics not just in the Philippines but also the world. Philippines
will not be only known as home of hospitable people and pristine lands and seas but
also the home of the largest indoor arena in the world, the Philippine Arena.
Sources

 World's Largest Dome Arena-Philippine Arena 20142.flv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NbzbLbv1Ck

 Hanwha E&C Philippines Arena PR Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EANejrn5o58

 PHILIPPINE ARENA FULL EPISODE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm3T9yy_Ops&t=221s

 Discovery Channel spotlights the Philippine Arena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZdAoei1fBw

 HAEAH architecture

https://archive.is/20130819071954/http://haeahn.com/front/project/04_byyear_01

.htm?index=251&idx_num=286

 POC eyes INC-owned stadium as training site http://sports.inquirer.net/97183/poc-

eyes-inc-owned-stadium-as-training-site

 Larges mixed-indoor theatre http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-

records/60280-largest-mixed-use-indoor-theatre

 Hanwha Engineering & Construction Completes World's Largest Domed

Performance Hall

https://www.hanwha.com/en/news_and_media/press_release/hanwha_enc_com

pletes_worlds_largest_domed_performance_hall.html

 Hanwha E&C to build world’s largest domed arena near Manila

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20110818000649
 Populous Designs World’s Largest Arena in Manila in the Philippines

https://populous.com/populous-designs-worlds-largest-arena-in-manila-in-the-

philippines

 The Vast Scale of the New Philippine Arena Unfolds After 20 months of

Construction https://populous.com/construction-progress-update-on-philippine-

arena

 PHILIPPINE ARENA https://www.burohappold.com/projects/philippine-arena/