(ATR) The Japan Sports Council provide a glimpse of the two stadium designs competing to play host to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"They are really carefully drawn up plans and I believe releasing them is a good thing to do to win the support of the public," said Japan’s Olympics minister Toshiaki Endo.
One of the designs will be selected by the JSC by the end of the year as the new National Stadium of Japan, bringingto an enda series of complications that delayed the stadium’s construction .
The original design for the stadium by architect Zaha Hadid was first scaled down by organizers in 2014 to reduce construction costs. The project was then scrapped entirely by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2015 due to cost projections that still exceeded the planned budget.
The tender process for the new design began shortly after in September. The application process closed on Nov. 16 with only the two designs announced Monday submitted.
Both of the new designs are projected to cost $1.26 billion, down from the $1.3 billion of the original design. The Japanese government has also agreed to cover $320 million of construction costs, one-fourth of the total price tag.
The designs, only known thus far as ‘A’ and ‘B’, are substantially less massive than the original design and are said to reflect their natural surroundings.
Design A pays particular attention to the greenscape surrounding the venue, placing shrubbery along the outer concourses and wooden pillars around the perimeter. Design B has outer glass walls and is said to reflect the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
"We will work to ensure a stadium that will be loved by all," said Kazumi Daito, president of the JSC.
Whichever stadium is chosen will be built on the site of the demolished former National Stadium that played host to the 1964 Tokyo Games. Construction is set to begin in early 2017 with a completion date scheduled for Nov. 30, 2019.
Written by KevinNutley
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