Geometry

Geometry ***

The roof of the Arena contains a large hole in the center which acts as a ventilation shaft for the Blackwall Tunnel (“Millennium Dome - O2 Arena - Data, Photos & Plans.”). The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of tunnels which are located under the River Thames that link the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

This image is a diagram of the 02 Arenas plan. It is clear that circular structures are very prominent in the design of this Arena. The blue circles on the perimeter of the plan are representative of the structures holding utilities. Moving inward, the red circles represent the changing elevation of the dome, getting taller as one moves towards the center. The green lines split the plan up into twelve sections.

Plan

Section

The section diagramed here shows the importance of triangles as structural members. The green line represents the domes’ shell, whereas the red and blue lines both show the cables attached to the dome. The red being the exterior cables and the blue the interior cables. It is clear that the architects of this dome believe that triangles are strong elements that have the ability to withstand both internal and external forces.

Elevation

The elevation of the 02 Arena shows the combination of many geometric components coming together to for a stable structure. The red line showing the semi-circular shape of the dome. The blue lines showing ridged rectilinear shapes and the green lines showing how they connect to the masts and the dome to form a triangular shape.