2025 Impact Intl. UK/Euro Honoree: Declan Sharkey

DECLAN SHARKEY
Senior Principal, Global Director
Populous

POPULOUS IS MORE THAN ‘JUST ARCHITECTS’

It feels like whenever a new venue gets announced in recent years, it was the architects at Populous who designed it, helping bring ground-breaking projects to life across the world, including Sphere in Las Vegas, Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong or Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Upcoming projects include arenas in
Munich, Germany, and Cardiff, Wales.

“It’s been an incredible few years at Populous,” says Declan Sharkey, the firm’s Senior Principal and Global Director. “One project I’m especially proud of is the Co-op Live arena, which opened in Manchester last year. It has been a huge success – not only in terms of the number and quality of shows it has hosted, but also in the way it has set a new benchmark for venues of this type, with the intimacy of its seating bowl and the quality of its interior spaces.”

Developed by Oak View Group, Co-op Live also raised the bar in terms of sustainability, which was no longer a “nice to have,” but “a non-negotiable” in project delivery, according to Sharkey, who mentions equitable design was another priority “both in terms of creating spaces that serve women, who use the sports and entertainment venues we design, and in ensuring women are well represented across our practice.” (OVG is the parent company of Pollstar.)

Rising construction costs affect the entire entertainment world. “This has resulted in a renewed focus to deliver designs that not only meet our clients’ cost expectations, but deliver revenues that exceed our clients’ expectations,” Sharkey says.

Populous is far more than a design practice, as Sharkey explains. “We are not just architects – we have dedicated teams specializing in brand activation, sustainability, mixed-use urban planning, acoustic design and audio-visual design, to name just a few,” he says. “This breadth and flexibility allows us to create opportunities on any project and across all markets.”