Last week, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the country was scrapping its plans for Tokyo's Olympic Stadium and that a different project would be started from scratch.
According to The Japan Times, the new plans have been set in motion. Construction on the stadium that will serve as the hub of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will begin in January or February, and a first draft of the stadium's functions, along with a cost projection report, will be completed by the fall. A new design and builder will be selected as well.
Hakubun Shimomura, Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, said that a third-party will look into how construction costs for the previous stadium plan grew from 130 billion yen ($1.05 billion) to more than 252 billion yen (around $2 billion).
The original stadium, an 80,000-seat retractable roof venue designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, was an ambitious project that eventually had a number of flaws. Along with the rising costs and concerns about construction delays, critics said that the stadium interfered with local green space, put a financial burden on future generations, and was unattractive aesthetically.
Pritzker laureates Toyo Ito and Fumihiko Maki started an online petition that urged the country to consider upgrading the existing Meiji Jingo Gaien Stadium instead of displacing citizens who lived around the proposed Olympic Stadium.
Shimomura said that the plan is for the new stadium to open in the spring of 2020, prior to the Olympics.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 9, 2020
Florida Gators’ $65 million baseball field completes
Populous and Walker Architects designed the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jun 15, 2020
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has its own brewery, Europe’s longest bar
Populous designed the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 19, 2020
Projection mapping takes center court
Audiovisual systems that turn sports arenas into digital canvasses have become key elements of venue design.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 1, 2020
DLR Group completes LA Memorial Coliseum Renovation
The work finished prior to the 2019 USC season.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 27, 2020
Erudite eSports: Colleges build their very own eSports arenas
Universities are building dedicated spaces for eSport athletes to pick up the sticks.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 27, 2020
Disney to develop private island destination in The Bahamas
This will be Disney’s second private island retreat.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 25, 2020
The world’s largest cricket stadium opens
Populous designed the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 6, 2020
Europe’s first LEGOLAND Water Park is set to open
The water park will be part of Italy’s Gardaland Theme Park in Gardaland, Italy.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 20, 2020
Construction begins on $1.8 billion addition to the Washington State Convention Center
LMN Architects designed the project.