Designs for Perth Arena have been unveiled. The design features a bold, colourful and geometric design.

The building has been designed to be a flexible building, allowing for a large variety of uses with a quick changeover in between.

"Over a full operational year, we expect more than 400,000 people will experience the peak of entertainment, sporting and dining experiences," says VenuesWest chairman, Graham Partridge.

Jointly designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall and Cameron Chisholm and Nicol with RTKL from Los Angeles, the Eternity Puzzle inspiration of the Perth Arena’s external design has a strong presence throughout the venue’s entry, foyers, breakout function rooms and main arena.

The blue of the exterior is continued through the interiors and is complemented by warm timber paneling and splashes of red, orange and yellow.

Natural light features in break-out function rooms and the blues of the Perth sky will also feature through strategically placed skylights in dramatically-shaped ceilings. Locally-mined natural stone is a feature of the entry foyer.

Other key materials used in the interiors include Blackbutt hardwood, perforated mesh screening, matt anodised aluminium, and feature plantation timber wall paneling. All rooms have appropriate acoustic treatments.

Design director Howard Raggatt says its aim was to reinvent the perception of a standard arena and make something that would become an icon for the city.

"Our inspiration started with the Roundhouse in Fremantle, the designs of Middle Ages and Renaissance Ideal City drawings, and the Eternity Puzzle — like the Roundhouse, a 12-sided puzzle," Raggatt says.

"Perth Arena has been designed to provoke symbolic interpretation, create direct visual responses from all approaches, and become an integral part of the city’s overall urban design and architectural strategy."

The arena will open in 2011/12 and will host concerts and tennis tournaments.