John Rhodes, ARB, RIBA, Passive Haus
HOK Design Principal
Senior Principal | Director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment
John Rhodes is Design Principal of HOK London’s studio and director of HOK’s global Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice and is based in the London office. He also sits on the HOK Global Design & Management Board. With more than 20 years of experience developing high-profile facilities for a range of professional sports and entertainment activities, John’s work helps to spur urban regeneration and economic development in local communities, and he is particularly fond of pushing the boundaries of the next generation of multi-purpose venue.
John recently completed the Etihad Abu Dhabi Multi-purpose Arena, (18,000 capacity), whilst also informing the development of the Yas South Masterplan around the Formula 1 Circuit. Now a destination in its own right. The Manchester AO Arena £50m Refurbishment, where John managed to find an additional 3500 + seats on the event floor by leveraging underused adjacent storage areas, and creating additional access, to a complex building and site. Planning the site whilst the venue was operational. Whilst his past work includes the design of several arenas around the world, including the award-winning Leeds First Direct Arena, and the Orbion Multi-purpose Arena Moscow.
His current work on site includes the design of the prestigious Valencian Roig multi-purpose Arena (18,000 capacity) for Valencia Basket, the AWE Arena (Hong Kong) 20,000 plus capacity, and the deep refurbishment of the Avicci Arena in Stockholm.
Projects currently on the drawing board include the new Edinburgh Multi-Purpose Arena, which recently received planning and the £400m Gateshead Quays Multi-purpose Arena (12,500 capacity) and Convention Centre and the CLK Arena in Medellín Columbia.
Additionally, John is an experienced master planner and has been lead the design of Silverstone British Grand Prix Circuit & Facilities and the Dubai 2020 Expo, bid and concept masterplan.. The 438-hectare complex master plan encapsulates the core themes of the expo and is based on a long-term legacy goal for transforming the facilities into a convention centre, arenas, theatres and performance spaces after the event. With a peak day of 250,000 people, John understands how complex events work.
He has been responsible for over major projects in the UAE. He led the design of the Zayed National Stadium refurbishment for the FIFA Club World Cup 2009 (Abu Dhabi), the award-winning Al ain Sport City 2500 acre Masterplan 2009, and schemes for Abu Dhabi Mina Zayed Convention Centre & Arena.
John works to advance the next generation of multipurpose stadium, sports and entertainment venues that become destinations in their own right. He develops solutions with input from stakeholders including local community leaders, municipalities, investors and fans. John has extensive experience in the design of facilities including stadia, arena, Formula One circuits, conference and exhibition centres, horse racing tracks and high-performance training facilities.
Before joining HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice, John was a principal at Populous. He graduated from Edinburgh’s Herriot Watt University/Edinburgh College with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. John is a certified Passive Haus designer, and keen Rugby fan.
MAJOR PROJECT LIST
Edinburgh Arena (Edinburgh)
Manchester AO Arena Refurb (Manchester)
Qiddiya Resort Core F1 Circuit & Masterplan. (KSA)
CLK Arena (Columbia)
AWE Arena (Hong Kong).
Avicii Arena Stockholm (Sweden)
Gateshead Quays, Multi-purpose Area and Convention Centre, (UK)
Moscow Orbion Multi-purpose Arena, (Moscow)
Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, (UAE)
Valencia Arena, Spain
Cardiff Arena, UK
Leeds Arena, UK
FC Barcelona Arena, Spain
Birmingham Commonwealth Games Bid Masterplan, UK
Dubai World Expo Concept Masterplan, UAE
Dubai World Expo Bid Masterplan, UAE
Circuit of Wales, UK
Silverstone Formula 1, Circuit, Facilities, & Masterplan, UK
London Grand Prix 2012 Virtual Circuit, UK
Velocuidad, Formula 1, Circuit, Facilities, & Masterplan, Argentina
Mumbai, Formula 1, Circuit, Facilities, & Masterplan, India
Zayed National Stadium Refurb, UAE
FIFA Club World Cup 2009, UAE
Abu Dhabi Mina Zayed Convention & Arena Districts, UAE
Al ain Sport city Masterplan, UAE
Iceland Motopark, Circuit, Facilities, & Masterplan, Iceland
Moscow Autodrome, Russia
Chelmsford City Racecourse, UK
London Stock Exchange, UK
Cazenove Bank, Headquaters, UK
