The government on Tuesday picked a design by architect Kengo Kuma for the new National Stadium, a building that is expected to become the centerpiece of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One of two short-listed entries and identified until now only as design A, Kuma’s plan was a joint submission in partnership with construction giant Taisei Corp.
The competing design, identified as design B, was by architect Toyo Ito [...].
— japantimes.co.jp
Last week's rumors turned out to be true - the winning Design A was indeed developed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, beating out Toyo Ito's less successful Design B.
UPDATE: Zaha Hadid issues disappointed statement on Tokyo Olympic Stadium decision
Previously in the Archinect news:
6 Comments
Is this the beginning of the backlash against global starchitects?
Is this the beginning of hyper-local desires for design?
Is this the beginning of sports acting as dictator over all of culture?
Is this the beginning of the end of stadium vagina jokes?
2016 is coming on fast.
Japan has always been somewhat xenophobic. Between that and the cultural tradition of women as third class citizens I was surprised at the selection of Zaha for the stadium. But then again, that it looked like what it did was probably the deciding factor in her selection. Look at Japanese art, with men hauling their junk around in wheelbarrows.
There's nothing wrong with selecting architects from their country for the event that showcase their nation to the rest of the world, especially when there are so many talented architects and engineers within.
They had made a mistake selecting the design that didn't represent anything (just my opinion) other than the architect's ego... so they had guts to pull the plug and redo the process, before it cost them a lot of money to their citizen for years to come.
If the gov't. REALLY wanted to do the right thing they would've cancelled the Olympics and used the money for 3-11 cleanup and reconstruction. Choosing a local architect after another design had won out and was, for all intents and purposes, ready to roll was merely a move to distract and placate, and by no means a money saving measure.
wait for a knoa comment despising kengo kuma and praising big; what was funny the first 35 times, it's now getting old and boring, just like big!
If you understand the loving and enduring friendship of Japanese construction companies and the government, this should not come as a surprise to anyone. Come on, it's not just Kengo Kuma and it's him backed by TAISEI! Taisei is one of the backbone corporates of Japan who even supported the Japanese military government during WW2. I would be surprised if this hidden aspect of Japanese construction industry did not play a single role in making such decision.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.