The MSG Sphere London is a building proposed by The Madison Square Garden Company and if approved, will be identical to the MSG Sphere Las Vegas. Both buildings have been designed by the architectural firm Populous. The venue is proposed to be located in Stratford near Westfield Stratford City, the East Village housing development, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, built on a site used as a coach park during the 2012 Summer Olympics. The sphere-shaped venue has been designed to have LED screens on the inside and outside and designed to have a seating capacity of 18,000. The Madison Square Garden Company claims that the London metropolitan area has two large capacity venues for concerts, and that the MSG Sphere intends to help meet the demands of the London market. According to the official MSG website, public comments were reviewed at the end of 2018.
Opposition
, which operates the O2 Arena in south-east London, raised a question mark over the Sphere's proximity to existing entertainment venues such as the London Stadium, the Copper Box Arena, and the O2 Arena, emphasising that "it is imperative that MSG's proposals do not add to congestion in the area". Others have highlighted that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the surrounding London Borough of Newham, which has more than 25,000 households on its housing waiting list. They claim that up to 1,400 houses could be built in place of the planned venue, and noted that plans for a "snow dome" ski centre in the same location, backed by former London mayor Boris Johnson, were scrapped in 2016. Local residents have also set up a petition against the Sphere proposal as well as a website highlighting their concerns. On June the 5th 2019, London Legacy Development Corporation, the planning authority for the site, held a public consultation with the public during which the residents had a chance to voice their concerns. On June 14, 2019, Hackney council rejected plans by Madison Square Garden chiefs to display giant illuminated adverts on the dome of the sphere.
Proposed features
The MSG Sphere is set to be equipped with a 19,000 by 13,500 resolution LED screen which will spread across the interior of the venue. All 21,500 seats will have high speed internet access and the sound system uses a technology called beam forming to provide targeted, spatialized sound that is consistent in volume and quality across all seats. Haptic capabilities will be delivered through the floorboards. The exterior of the venue will wrapped by an LED display, allowing those who are outside of the venue to see what is going on inside. The external LEDs will also be used for various types of content, including advertising purposes. Proposals also include a 3,000 person club venue in addition to the 21,500 seats. On the outside the proposal will feature 1 million pixels, each pixel equipped with 36 LED lights covering a surface of 190,000 ft².
Transport links
The MSG Sphere will be accessible through a variety of mass transit links, including rail and bus. There are no proposals to extend Stratford Station or to provide parking.
