Ericsson Globe Arena: The Largest Hemispherical Building

The Ericsson Globe Arena, also known as Globen, is the world’s largest and most awe-inspiring hemispheric structure, completed in just over two years. Globen is a re-creation of the Colosseum Kino in Oslo, cast into a massive White Ball. Except that this gigantic Globe is over 360 feet wide, 490 acres long, and 279 feet tall. To get a sense of the scale of Globen, consider that it can hold 16,000+ people for concerts and 13,500 for ice hockey. It was built in 1989 for Melodifestivalen, and after the Expo, repurposed into the world’s first technology museum dedicated to future energy.

It quickly became the most well-known and well-visited venue for international concerts. Later, the structure received extensive renovations to transform it from a pavilion to a museum, including complete insulation of the entire surroundings. The arena has landed as one of Sweden’s most iconic structures. The Stockholm Globe Arena was renamed the Ericsson Globe when Swedish telecommunications firm Ericsson purchased the naming rights in 2009.

To get to this massive Globen ball, we left central Stockholm at 12:45 p.m. and arrived at the location 15 minutes later following a short, but highly scenic drive. A two-lane Centralbron Highway connects the two ends, bordered by breathtaking water and cityscapes. I decided that noon would be a good time to get a better perspective of Stockholm in natural light. However, the universe had other plans, as the Swedish sky were exceptionally windy and piled high with mammoth clouds on this particular day.

Ericsson Globe Arena

Nonetheless, the gorgeous trip and adrenaline rush of nearing Ericsson Globe Arena temporarily overshadowed the weather forecast. Soon later, our car approached the Arenagangen road, which leads to the Ericsson headquarters. Ericsson’s vast corporate quarters were on my left, and the colossal ball of events was on my right. Prepare to be mesmerised by its colossal size! The focus gradually shifts to the enormous navy-blue numberings that indicate different entrances to enclosed venues.

Ericsson Globe, Tele2 Arena, Friends Arena, Annexet, Hovet, and SkyView are among the designated blocks. Berg Arkitektkontor drew inspiration for this unusual glass, steel, and concrete structure from the MERO space structure. Ericsson Globen displays the Sun in the Sweden Solar System in a split second, echoing the world’s biggest scale model of the Solar System.

Ericsson SkyView

I purchased a EUR 15 ticket from the Entretorget to ride the SkyView Gondola and see Stockholm from a 360° perspective. A pre-flight video is shown on a widescreen inside a small auditorium before the SkyView trip. This 15-minute film gives guests a first-hand look into the Globen Arena and serves as a terrific introduction. A restaurant and 40 VIP boxes are located at the Arena’s upper level. I believe the video also creates enough suspense for one to be enthusiastic about going on the incredible pod journey!

The level of engineering that went into making it function is remarkable. Globen, a treasure mine of astronomy, competes for your attention as you ride its translucent glass gondola, which resembles a water droplet, from East to West and North to South. Riding up to the top to witness the best of Stockholm is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Two glass globes, each with a capacity of 16 passengers, travel on parallel tracks at the same time. Each pod takes off 10 minutes apart, softly ascending to the top and providing a 360-degree view. The loop lasted around 20 minutes, and the panoramic views of Southern Stockholm from the top were breathtaking.

Carry your camera, I’d say! One of the staff members accompanied us as we travelled up the glass pod, sharing extra information on the world’s largest circular building. Globen’s exceptional lighting and acoustics are invariably used for concerts, sporting events, and ice hockey competitions. The home stadium of the Swedish Hockey Team is Ericsson Globen. Nelson Mandela delivered a speech here in 1990, and Sweden won the European handball championship in 2002 and the world hockey tournament in 2013.

A new WiFi network was installed, in March 2016 to improve the user experience. The Globen has hosted sold-out concerts by worldwide acts such as U2, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. A wheelchair-accessible plan includes a bar-restaurant, a souvenir shop, and clean facilities. The Arena would take you roughly a couple of hours to tour. We know because we’ve done it ourselves. Alongside Ericsson Globe Arena, there are numerous cafés, gift shops, and anchor stores. SkyView is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so schedule your visit appropriately. This Arena is approximately a 5-minute walk from Globen Station and is easily accessible by train.

Spread the love

 

 

 

 Tweet