Of all the radical and inventive geometric shapes that buildings can assume, a sphere is arguably the most fantastical. There is no cosmic law stating that buildings must be rectilinear, and curves are as much a feature of architecture as angles. But the sphere unsettles the preconceived visual, functional and structural notions about what buildings should be, by allowing the natural organic form to triumph over the rational, orthogonal geometries we commonly associate with architecture. 

This is why spherical buildings are both beguiling and rare. And it is also why recently unveiled proposals for London’s newest entertainment venue have captured the imagination of many. The London MSG Sphere is set to be a colossal 23,000-capacity indoor music venue built on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It will be twinned with a sister MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, where construction is already set to begin this summer. Both venues will extend the template of New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, and are being developed by its owner, Madison Square Garden Company, known as MSG. The London version at least will seek to replicate the astonishing success of the nearby 20,000-capacity O2 Arena, which is the most popular music venue in the world in terms of ticket sales. 

The London project is in its conceptual design stages, with a planning application not expected until at least the end of the year. Therefore no details have been released about scale, structure or materials. But from an architectural point of view at least, what is already clearly evident – and what could well capture the popular imagination – is that this will be one of the largest spherical buildings in the world. 

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