National Stadium(1964 Olympic Stadium)

[JO2024]

I understand how important it is to get a national stadium, but I really don't get the price of it. It's insanely high!

And no, the French don't seem to realise that we already have a lot of venues, and that the Stade de France wouldn't need much refurbishing for an Olympic use (it wouldn't cost € 2 billions anyway). Additionally, Paris will have a second 80,000 seats Stadium by 2020.

[bairrosfelipe]

Article in the Brazilian Website Globo.com talking about the high custs of the "New" Stadium in Tokyo:

"Cost of the Olympic stadium in Tokyo in 2020 doubles and reaches R $ 6.3 billion

Despite the changes, the work should be ready for rugby World Cup in 2019

Three weeks after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to approve changes in eight venues to reduce the budget of the event, the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Games in 2020 announced a significant increase in the Olympic stadium costs. The building, which will replace the one that was used in the 1964 Olympics, will cost 252 billion yen (equivalent to R $ 6.35796 billion), almost twice the original plan."

Source.(In portuguese)

[baron-pierreIV]

Well, Japan has the money to pay for this...so what's the Kobe beef about it????????

[phandrosis]

I understand how important it is to get a national stadium, but I really don't get the price of it. It's insanely high!

It's expensive mostly due to the design itself. The contractors have to lug in pre-fabricated arch parts through a cramped city and reassemble them on site, to name a few of the construction feats they have to do. The design is not as easy as a bowl and a flat roof. They chose this design and might not have forseen that it's kinda hard to build such a massive structure in the middle of the city.

[phandrosis]

There was a meeting today to finalize the design of the stadium leading up to the IOC session at the end of the month. Here are the details:

1- The landscaping has been updates

2- The temporary seats operate as shown below. For the Rugby World Cup/Future large scale football/rugby events the capacity is ~76,500, then is reduced by 15,000 to ~61,000

3- This is the layout for football, and I assume they'll cover up the track with some fake grass or something when it comes to it.

4-These are some new profile shots showing the shape of the stadium. This is the final design so what you see here is what you will see in 2020.

5- This is a cross section showing the size of the different hospitality areas, the reference to the ground, etc.

6- These are the newest renders (I couldn't find bigger ones)

7- Finally, this is the model that was present at the meeting.

(source: http://www.jpnsport.go.jp/newstadium//tabid/411/Default.aspx )

[baron-pierreIV]

/\/\ That friggin' roof is still NOT the most graceful available. Really hard to look at.

[Roger87]

I'm not exactly fan of the new stadium.

[FYI]

Well, Japan has the money to pay for this...so what's the Kobe beef about it????????

Lmao

[TorchbearerSydney]

Correct me if I am wrong, but we are looking at the most expensive stadium of any kind in history? With permanent 50K seats and 65K for Olympics for $US 2billion?

Sydney's Stadium Australia by comparison cost about $US 330million (2000 dollars)- for a 115K to 85K!!!

Crazy stuff.

[phandrosis]

With permanent 50K seats and 65K for Olympics for $US 2billion?

It's 65k permanent and for the olympics with 80k for football/RWC

[JO2024]

Yes this is all very confusing. All the major stadiums of similar size that were built lately in the world didn't cost more than €500 million. I really don't get how it could cost so much...

$2 billion for such an ugly stadium....arf

[FYI]

It's Tokyo (Japan). One of the (if not the most) priciest real estate markets on the planet.

[JO2024]

It's funny though how they've been changing a LOT of their originally planed venues in order to save costs...

[Nacre]

It's Tokyo (Japan). One of the (if not the most) priciest real estate markets on the planet.

The design is also extremely costly.

Unfortunately this is a good example of the worldwide movement towards art for the sake of art critics and artists rather than the client. The masses of steel used in the arches result in a worse experience for the spectators inside the stadium (less light, more claustrophobic, etc.) The priority is not how it will be built or how the fans will experience it, but rather how it will look when viewed as a model by other architects.

[phandrosis]

I don't think the arches will be blocking a lot of light at all. After all, there are several large translucent and transparent parts of the roof that allow light in. The arches themselves don't really protrude into the stadium really. They mostly stick out on the exterior. Besides that the stadium is naturally very expansive, so unless you're on the top row of the top tier it wont feel any more claustrophobic than a stadium with a similar roof size.

[Bezzi]

I also don't like this design. Reminds me of the ugly Morumbi project for the World Cup, curiously made by a Japanese descending called Otake.

[baron-pierreIV]

It's not just all that. I've thought about it quite a bit.

#1 - Its quake-proof design for the arches AND the foundation to hold that roof and the whole structure together to withstand a major earthquake, is the major bulk of the cost.

#2 - The Japanese don't want to stint on cheap construction for this just in case a major quake hits when there are 65,000 people in there, I think they want the safest, state-of-the-art stadium that money can buy.

So, they'll cut corners in other things but they've decided to spare no expense for this, their premier showcase.

[phandrosis]

The problem here is that it's simply too late. The construction companies have signed the contracts (officially now), the JSC and Government have agreed, and the blueprints are set in stone.

Poll: 81% disapprove $2-billion Olympic stadium

An NHK poll shows that more than 80 percent of people surveyed disapprove a plan to build a new Olympic stadium in Tokyo that costs more than 2 billion dollars. The facility will be the main arena for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

NHK telephoned men and women aged 20 or over across Japan for 3 days from Friday. 1,024 people, or 67 percent, responded.

The Japanese government recently announced the estimated cost of the new national stadium, which is about 700 million dollars more than the initial estimate.

81 percent of respondents say they disapprove of the plan to build the stadium without changing its design. 13 percent approve.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150714_04.html

[Palette86]

Government changes its tune on Olympic stadium design amid soaring costs

The government has begun considering revising its contentious plan for the construction of the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in response to public criticism over its soaring cost, a government source said Wednesday.

The government will consider changing the stadium’s design or extending the construction period as a way to cut costs, the source said.

Either way, it could be difficult to use the new stadium for matches of the Rugby World Cup in Japan, which will kick off in the fall of 2019.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last Friday in the Diet that if the stadium’s design is changed, “there would be a high probability that we can’t make it for the Olympics.”

But the government later leaned toward changing the current construction plan, as sticking to it despite mounting public criticism could have detrimental consequences for the Abe administration, which is already under pressure for pushing through unpopular security bills.

The government is expected to make a final decision by the International Olympic Committee’s general meeting later this month, the source said.

The current design, conceived by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, features two gigantic arches over the stadium. But its cost has swollen to ¥252 billion ($2 billion) from an initially estimated ¥162.5 billion, drawing criticism not only from opposition lawmakers but some in the ruling camp and sporting world.

Toshihiro Nikai, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s General Council, pointed to the possibility of changing the current construction plan.

“Are there any ways to save costs? If we cut the budget, some changes would be necessary, of course,” Nikai said during the recording of a TV program.

“There are plenty of things to consider as (a member of) the Diet that was given a public mandate,” he said.

However, organizers of Rugby World Cup 2019 are hopeful that the stadium will be ready in time.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event Wednesday marking the official kick off of the rugby tournament, Akira Shimazu, chief executive officer of the local organizing committee, said: “We believe the stadium will be built in time.”

He pointed out the first game of the tournament may not be the first event in the new arena. “We need to hold rehearsals and test events. We need the stadium to be constructed by May (2019) at the latest,” he said.

15 July,2015

News source:The Japan Times

Link to this article:http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/15/national/politics-diplomacy/olympic-stadium-design-stands-despite-soaring-costs-critics-within-ruling-bloc/#.VaZg2Pntmko

[baron-pierreIV]

Get rid of Hadid's design. Becuz if you commit to it, you're stuck with it. I'm really surprised it was chosen, considering the Japanese aesthetic for simplicity. Its design is anything but simple. It is a disturbing design -- and comes with such a high tag too.

[phandrosis]

I agree. I've tried to look at Hadid's design and like it, but it just isn't right for the city. They (the government) should look at stadiums from the 2002 WC. They were basic, capable of track and football (basically they were athletics stadiums), and affordable. The largest stadium from then, in Yokohama, is almost 200 billion less than the national stadium will be if the design remains. Even with changed construction costs and labor issues, it's obvious that they can build a proper stadium cheap.

for the sake of national pride they might as well get a Japanese architect to do it anyway.

[dave199]

What kind of example is Tokyo setting for future bidding cities? This $2 billion price tag for the stadium will surely scare off a lot of interested bid cities.

[phandrosis]

If you ignore the (white) elephant in the room that is the stadium, they are setting a rather good example by getting so many corporate sponsorship so quickly, and also sacrificing compactness for savings.

[phandrosis]

And not this:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20150715-OYT1T50092.html

This article states that Tadao Ando, the JSC guy who managed the stadium design contest and has been out of the media ever since the opposition arose, will be holding a proper press conference tommorow (today in Japan, the 16th).

Will he admit that the JSC must change the design? Or will they stick with a design neither the people or government want? They have 15 days until the IOC session presentation, but could the IOC allow TOCOG more time to finalize the stadium if a new design is requested?

We'll see...

[yoshi]

Why can't they just use the Yokohama stadium? 70odd thousand seats, so plenty big enough, has hosted a World Cup final so the surrounding facilities like hospitality etc. must be there.