Archinect - News

Zaha Hadid ineligible to participate in Tokyo Stadium design-build competition

2015-09-18T15:38:00-04:00

In the headache-inducing whirlwind regarding Japan's New National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Zaha Hadid Architects and Japanese engineering company Nikken Sekkei announced their ineligibility to participate in the design-and-build competition for the stadium's redesign. Why? Because they couldn't secure a construction company for their consortium, which they struggled with after ZHA's previous design was scrapped, mostly due to an inflated ¥252 billion price-tag. ZHA's latest announcement follows a snazzy 23-minute video and a 91-page report they put out last month, wherein they asserted their case for Japan to keep the previous stadium design. Earlier this month, the team intended to submit a new bid for the project.

From Zaha Hadid Architects' New National Stadium Report - August 2015.

But not too surprisingly, ZHA's announcement on their ineligibility is no swan song for their involvement in the project, and they continue to convey the same sense of determination. Despite...

Tokyo will stay the course with Zaha's Olympic stadium

2015-06-26T13:17:00-04:00

Two massive arches that form the backbone of the stadium's roof, a feature that critics blamed for raising construction costs, will remain part of the design.

When confronted with Zaha Hadid's too-big and too-costly design for the 2020 Olympic National Stadium, Tokyo officials decided to go ahead with the designs anyway – or else, add "too late" to that list of descriptors. Any additional major changes to the design (Hadid already scaled back the design after pushback from major Japanese architects) would delay construction too much. Now, construction on the stadium will begin in October of this year, and hopefully be finished by 2019.

Some background on Tokyo's 2020 Olympic National Stadium:

Hadid and Japanese at loggerheads over ‘turtle-like’ Olympic stadium

Zaha Hadid's Tokyo Olympic stadium slammed as a 'monumental mistake' and a 'disgrace to future generations'

Hadid’s stadium for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games ‘to be scaled back’

Zaha Hadid's 2020 Olympic Stadium under fire from Japanese architects