In 2011, South Korean firm, Hanwha Engineering and Construction won the contract to manage the construction of the Philippine Arena. Hanwha outbested bids from Filipino firm, EEI Corporation an done on August 17, 2011.[15] Hanwha announced that it had completed the construction of the indoor arena on May 30, 2014.[10] The venue was not formally inaugurated until almost two months later.
Inauguration
The Philippine Arena, along with Ciudad de Victoria was officially inaugurated on July 21, 2014. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo unveiled the marker of Ciudad de Victoria.[16]
Building details
Concept
The initial design concept of the Philippine arena is inspired by the narra tree, the mother tree of the Philippines, and the root of the banyan tree.[17] The roof was inspired by that of a Nipa Hut.[18]
Architecture
Populous, a global mega-architecture firm, designed the arena through their office in Brisbane, Australia.[19] The official website of the sports facility describe's the structure's architectural style as Modernist.[20] The arena has been master planned to enable at least 50,000 people to gather inside the building and a further 50,000 to gather at a ‘live site’ or plaza outside to share in major events.[19] The seating bowl of the arena is a one-sided bowl and is partitioned into two parts, the upper and the lower bowl each with approximately 25,000 seating capacity. The lower bowl is the most used part of the building and the architectural design allows for easy separation of the lower bowl from the upper tier, by curtaining with acoustic and thermal properties. A retractable seating of 2,000 people capacity is also installed behind the stage which is used by the choir of the Iglesia ni Cristo for events of the church.[4]
The seating layout of the arena is different from that of a standard arena where the stage is at the middle and is surrounded by seats. The seating of the arena closely resembles that of a Greek amphitheater, built in a semi-circle with the seats at the sides and front of the arena stage. The seatings are divided into three sections. Each of the sections are colored green, white and red: the colors of the Iglesia ni Cristo flag.[21]
The arena has four floors or levels. Level 1 is the stage level, Level 2 is the main access level open to the general viewing public, Level 3 is the VIP area which also houses conference rooms with views facing the main plaza outside the indoor arena building, and Level 4 is the upper concourse.[4]
Furthermore, contractor Hanwha hired their own architecture firm, Haeanh Architects for the project.[4]
Structure
Interior - upper box lobby
Built on 99,200 square meters (1,068,000 sq ft) of land, the arena has a dome over 9,000 square meters (97,000 sq ft).[22] The oval roof has a dimension of 227 m × 179 m (745 ft × 587 ft)[23] and contains 9,000 tons of steel work. The roof was made as a separate unit to reduce burden on the arena with extra load. The arena is 65 meters (213 ft) in height, or about fifteen stories high and founded on pile construction. About a third of the dead load of the building was designed for earthquake loads. The building was also divided into multiple structures to strengthen the arena's earthquake resistance.[18][24]
Landscape
PWP Landscape Architecture, the firm who landscaped the National September 11 Memorial & Museum,[25] designed the landscape for the arena and the whole complex of Ciudad de Victoria. For the arena, a series of outdoor plazas, gardens and performance venues form the setting for the development including: The North and South Arrival Plazas, The Promontory Plaza, The Great Stairs, and Ciudad de Victoria Plaza that are all related to each other with two cross axes (N-S and E-W) that intersect at the Promontory Plaza. Two fountains that can shoot waters up to 15 meters (49 ft) are also installed in front of the arena.[13]
The arena serves multiple purposes, hosting major church gatherings of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and functioning as a versatile sports and concert venue. It accommodates various events, including boxing, basketball, and live music performances, but not association football or field events due to its limited size. For field events, the adjacent Philippine Sports Stadium, also owned by the Iglesia ni Cristo, is used. Every seat in the arena offers a clear line of sight, even with different configurations such as church ceremonies, boxing matches, tennis, concerts, or indoor gymnastics. The INC allows non-Iglesia tenants to use the arena but reserves the right to prohibit activities that violate its religious principles, such as gambling-related events and cockfighting.[19][26][27]
On October 19, 2014, the Philippine Arena hosted its first commercial and non-INC event with the opening ceremonies of the 2014–15PBAPhilippine Cup. It was attended by 52,612 people, making it the largest attendance record for an opening ceremony in PBA history. It again hosted the opening ceremonies for 2019PBA Philippine Cup on January 13, 2019, attended by 23,711.[28]
The most attended PBA game of all time was recorded in the arena on January 15, 2023, when Barangay Ginebra played Bay Area Dragons in front of a crowd of 54,589 for Game 7 of the 2022–23PBA Commissioner's CupFinals. It broke the previous record of 54,086 set back on October 27, 2017, at the same venue during Game 7 of the 2017 Governors' Cup Finals. Game 6 of the same series on October 25 also recorded a crowd of 53,624.[29]
February 18, 2018 – NLEX Road Warriors beat Blackwater Elite in the first game, 93–90, while Meralco Bolts defeated Barangay Ginebra in the second game, 84–82.
January 15, 2023 – 2022–23PBA Commissioner's CupFinals Game 7: Barangay Ginebra defeated Bay Area Dragons, 114–99. The match recorded a crowd of 54,589, making it the largest attendance record for a PBA game.
FIBA 3x3 World Cup
The 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup was hosted by the Philippines on June 8–12, 2018 with Philippine Arena as the venue. Serbia won the men's tournament, while the women's tournament was won by Italy. The event was co-organized by FIBA.
The Philippine Arena during U2's Joshua Tree concert on December 11, 2019.Coldplay performs for over 48,000 fans at the Philippine Arena on January 20, 2024, during their Music of the Spheres Tour.
The Philippine Arena has hosted several concerts by local and international artists. Some of the notable acts who performed at the arena include Blackpink which became the first musical act to perform multiple nights and sell out two shows at the arena with their Born Pink World Tour,[32]Bruno Mars who is the first solo artist to sell out two shows at the arena,[33] and Coldplay which currently holds the record for highest attendance by a musical act for their Music of the Spheres World Tour with a combined attendance of 96,079.[34]
Other events
On November 30, 2019, Philippine Arena hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. It was the first time that a SEA Games opening ceremony was held in an indoor arena.[35]
Eat Bulaga!: Sa Tamang Panahon, a special episode of Kalyeserye segment from the variety show Eat Bulaga!, was held in the arena on October 24, 2015. It was reportedly attended by a record of 55,000 people after it sold out three days after the announcement.[36]
The Philippine Arena was featured in a documentary called Man Made Marvels: Quake Proof. It aired on December 25, 2013, on Discovery Channel and focused on making structures in the Philippines more safe from natural disasters in general such as earthquake and typhoons.[38]
Sa Tamang Panahon, a special episode of Kalyeserye from the noon-time variety show Eat Bulaga! was set in Philippine Arena. The live television event spawned around 55,000 people on October 24, 2015, making it the most attended event held in the arena.[36]
Disney+ Philippines' launch event A Night of Wonder with Disney+ on November 17, 2022, featured the Philippine Arena as a venue for one of its recorded performances. Stell of SB19, Janella Salvador, and Zephanie performed Disney hit songs in an illuminated empty arena around projections of clips from various Disney films.[39]
Notes
^Ciudad de Victoria spans over an area administered by two municipalities. However according to the official website, the arena's address only mentions the town of Bocaue and omits the town of Santa Maria.[1]
^"Contact". Philippine Arena. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2016. The Philippine Arena • Ciudad De Victoria, Bocaue Bulacan, Philippines
^Salud, Joel Pablo (November 5, 2012). Joel Pablo Salud (ed.). "Dawn of the New Guard"(magazine). Philippine Graphic. 23 (23). Makati City, Philippines: T. Anthony C. Cabangon: 23. OCLC53164818.
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