TOKYO (AP) — Japan chose a scaled-down design Tuesday for the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, five months after scrapping the initial design and construction plan for being too costly.
The new design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, will still cost 153 billion yen ($1.26 billion) to design, build and maintain. The initial stadium proposal would have cost 252 billion yen ($2.1 billion), making it the most expensive stadium ever built.
Kuma’s combined steel and wood structure, with a relatively flat roof with shrubbery along its outer concourses, echoes traditional temple designs. It stands 50 meters (164 feet) tall, with the track and field below ground level.
“This is a wonderful plan which meets the basic vision in the new construction plan and requirements for construction period and the budget,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in announcing the choice.
Tuesday’s announcement was a major step for organizers, who were forced to start over on a new design less than five years before the 2020 Games.
The scrapping of the initial stadium plan forced the 2019 Rugby World Cup to change venues, and the late change had raised concerns about whether it could even be completed in time for the Olympics.
Organizers also had to deal with a plagiarism scandal over the logo for the event, and an investigation last month found backroom dealings in the selection process.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the design selection process was more transparent than that for the previous stadium plan, and also addressed the main problems: cost and post-Olympic use.
The winning project will be led by major construction company Taisei Corp. Lead architect Kuma, known for his Japanese aesthetic, has also designed Tokyo’s kabuki theater that was renewed in 2013.
Officials said the design won by a small margin over the alternative plan led by architect Toyo Ito and three construction companies Takenaka, Shimizu and Obayashi.
Suga said Kuma’s plan was superior because of its ample environmental consideration and a possibility of shrinking the construction period.
The original plan by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid was criticized for its massive cost and scale.
Hadid said Japan’s scrapping of her plan was “shocking” and that she said it was not about design or budget.
“In fact much of our two years of detailed design work and the cost savings we recommended have been validated by the remarkable similarities of our original detailed stadium layout and our seating bowl configuration with those of the design announced today,” she said in a statement to The Associated Press.
A look at the old and new designs:
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COST
New: 153 billion yen ($1.23 billion)
Old: 252 billion yen ($2.08 billion)
— Cost of new plan includes 149 billion yen for construction and 4 billion yen for design and maintenance
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CAPACITY
New: 68,000 seats, expandable after the Olympics to 80,000
Old: 80,000 seats for the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup in 2019
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HEIGHT
New: 49.2 meters (161 feet)
Old: 70 meters (230 feet)
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AREA
New: 72,400 square meters
Old: 78,100 square meters
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CONSTRUCTION PERIOD
New: 36 months (from Dec. 2016 to Nov. 2019)
Old: 45 months (from Sept. 2015 to May 2019)
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CONCEPT
New: “Giant tree of life” that connects with greenery of nearby Meiji Shrine
Old: Futuristic stadium with world-class hospitality
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LOOK
New: A wood and iron roof inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, and greenery in its outer-facing walls
Old: A pair of giant arches supporting a high-tech roof, likened by some to a bicycle helmet or oyster shell
MORE: Tokyo 2020 proposes additional Olympic sports
This combination of artist renderings provided by the Japan Sports Council shows the original design by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, bottom, of the new stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics selected on Nov. 16, 2012 but was later scrapped due to controversy over its cost and scale, and the newly selected plan, top, announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (The Japan Sports Council via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
AP
This artist rendering provided by the Japan Sports Council shows the side view of the new stadium design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proposed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and construction companies. Japan has selected a new design for a lucrative construction of the main stadium. The government announced Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, that the winner is a design proposed by Kuma and construction companies. (The Japan Sports Council via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
AP
This artist rendering provided by the Japan Sports Council shows the inside of the new stadium design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proposed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and construction companies. Japan has selected a new design for a lucrative construction of the main stadium. The government announced Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, that the winner is a design proposed by Kuma and construction companies. (The Japan Sports Council via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
AP