Olympia Theatre
Engineered for performance before the curtain rises at the heart of London
Olympia Theatre is a major new performance venue within the wider redevelopment of Olympia in West London. Designed by Haworth Tompkins for TEG, the theatre incorporates cross-laminated timber seating tiers installed by ConstruktCLT within a new steel frame.
The CLT creates the auditorium's stepped geometry through a precise, prefabricated system. Before delivery, the panels were treated in the factory with NORFLAM® W310 fire retardant to achieve Euroclass B-s1,d0. By integrating fire protection into off-site production, the project combined structural coordination, controlled application and efficient installation on one of London's most constrained construction sites.
Project Facts
- Shortlisted award: Retail & Leisure project of the year
- Type of building: Entertainment & Leisure
- Architect: Haworth Tompkins
- Timber contractor: ConstruktCLT
- Timber technology: Cross-laminated timber (CLT)
- Fire-protected elements: CLT auditorium seating tiers
- Fire classification: Euroclass B-s1,d0
- Treet solution: NORFLAM® W310
- Location: Olympia, West London, UK
- Year of completion: 2025
Precision takes its seat!
The auditorium's tiered form called for a system capable of delivering complex geometry with accuracy. CLT offered a structurally efficient, prefabricated solution that could be manufactured in advance and precisely integrated into the theatre's steel frame.
Large, coordinated components reduced the need for extensive fabrication inside the auditorium. This was particularly valuable at Olympia, where tight working conditions, very limited storage and close coordination with the shell-and-core programme made efficient sequencing essential.
The result demonstrates how engineered timber can form a complex seating structure while supporting a controlled and predictable installation strategy.
Performance begins in the factory
Treating the panels off-site meant that each element could be positioned for consistent access and controlled application, including surfaces that would have been difficult to reach after installation, particularly the undersides of the tier slabs.
The factory process also reduced specialist treatment work within the restricted auditorium. The panels arrived on site already fire protected to Euroclass B-s1,d0 and ready to enter the planned installation sequence.
By considering manufacture, fire performance, transport and assembly as one connected process, the project improved quality assurance while helping work progress efficiently within the limited space available.
From treatment to installation
The CLT seating tiers are not visible in the completed auditorium, so the NORFLAM® W310 solution was selected for performance rather than as a defining architectural finish. Applied under controlled factory conditions, it gave the project team a practical way to verify treatment coverage before the panels were dispatched.
It also helped the team identify and address any damage sustained during transport or installation. In this application, the fire-retardant treatment became part of the quality-control strategy, supporting inspection from factory application through to final installation.
Olympia Theatre shows how fire protection can be embedded in off-site manufacturing rather than approached as a separate operation after construction. The combination of engineered timber, controlled factory treatment and carefully sequenced installation provides a strong model for future theatre, leisure and hybrid-structure projects.
Olympia Theatre will welcome large audiences, so meeting its fire-performance requirements was essential. Applying NORFLAM® W310 in the factory gave us controlled access to every required surface and made treatment coverage and any handling damage easier to verify. Treet’s support helped us deliver the CLT seating tiers ready for an efficient, quality-controlled installation on a very constrained site.
Jim Johnstone, Director at ConstruktCLT
