National Stadium(1964 Olympic Stadium)

[TorchbearerSydney]

Tokyo builds the Mutant Ninja Turtle Stadium..how appropriate!!!!!

[phandrosis]

Its not even a bad design. Maybe it's just personal taste but I think it will become quite iconic in the future.

[LatinXTC]

I still think it looks fantastic. It's meant to stand out from its surroundings, it's a National Stadium! You can see Wembley's arch across London, you'll be able to pick this out on the skyline too.

Its form follows its function; it actually ISN'T overextragegant. Every part of that design serves a function. What would you take away from it? That's unlike what we had in Beijing which was a normal stadium with a load of concrete wrapped around it. In that sense Toky's is a much tighter design.

And that transparent roof will give some great aerial shots during 2020. They could have some neat lighting effects with those different sections in the ceremoniess if they wanted.

You cannot put this TMNT stadium in the same category of the Bird's Nest. While the Tokyo stadium isn't intentionally supposed to look like a turtle, that's exactly what most people will think it looks like. And as far as I know, a turtle doesn't have a lot of significance to Tokyo culture, or Japanese culture as a whole.

The Bird's Nest, however does have significance in Chinese culture. A bird's nest in China is an expensive delicacy that is eaten on rare occasions. The Chinese believe they're high in nutrients and provide health benefits. It fits very well within the culture. The Tokyo stadium design would be more suited in a place like the east part of Mexico, where they do a lot to protect and repopulate the sea turtle population.

[Rob2012]

Biological metaphors aren't the main criteria I use to judge architectural merit.

I'm odd like that.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Rob.

[Throne]

Given the exquisite discipline of the Japanese, which is celebrated the world over, I don't see what all the fuss surrounding this stadium is about. Whatever is built, it could be a 65,000 seater chicken barn, it will be balanced - rather stunningly - on the edge of the very latest advancement in technological innovation.

[Palette86]

New National Stadium could cost to ¥250 bil.

It may cost as much as about ¥250 billion to build the new National Stadium, main venue of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

This is substantially higher than the previously targeted cost of about ¥162.5 billion.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry and others will try to curtail the total cost and shorten the construction period by delaying the installment of a retractable roof until after the 2020 Games and by replacing movable seats with temporary ones.

The increased cost may be a major problem in securing funding for the project.

Last October, the Japan Sport Council (JSC) used the proposal method to choose Taisei Corp. to construct the main part of the stadium in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, and Takenaka Corp. to build the roof.

The two general contractors recalculated the project cost based on the current design plan and estimated it would cost more than ¥300 billion, according to government sources. The companies then submitted their estimate to the JSC.

As the completion of the stadium will likely be delayed about eight months from the initial target of March 2019, it may not be ready for the Rugby World Cup scheduled to be held in September 2019.

Amid these circumstances, the ministry and the JSC proposed a plan to curb the cost by replacing 15,000 movable seats among the 80,000 seats at the stadium with temporary and removable seats. The ministry and the JSC also proposed delaying the installation of the retractable roof until after the 2020 Games.

In addition, the ministry and the JSC are negotiating with Taisei and Takenaka to reduce the total cost to around ¥250 billion by using cheaper materials.

If the cost is not finalized, the construction contract, which is scheduled to be signed by the end of this month, may not be concluded as planned.

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura asked Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe in May for the metropolitan government to shoulder more than ¥50 billion of the costs to build the new stadium.

Shimomura also told Masuzoe the construction cost may increase, but Masuzoe said the metropolitan government will not spend taxes paid by Tokyo residents since the total cost is unknown.

A suprapartisan group of lawmakers promoting sports is discussing a law revision to raise the percentage of sales from the sports promotion “toto” soccer lottery to cover the cost of constructing the new stadium from the current 5 percent.

June 05,2015.

News source:The Japan News by the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Link:http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002199397

[phandrosis]

Amid the concerns above, a Japanese architect has come out with a new design that will curb costs and construction time. However, at this point it's probably too late to change everything.

http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye2510500.html

[woohooitsme83]

Amid the concerns above, a Japanese architect has come out with a new design that will curb costs and construction time. However, at this point it's probably too late to change everything.

http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye2510500.html

Are there any pictures?

[phandrosis]

This is all we have now:

[phandrosis]

I just found this one as well.

[phandrosis]

I also found his proposal from last august that may be similar to what he is proposing.

Now that I look at it, it may be that he is proposing abandoning the arches as part of the design, basically.

[woohooitsme83]

I like arches! The proposal look quite bland without them. It kinda defeats the whole purpose of rebuilding an old stadium. If you're gonna tear down the old one and start again, you might as well create something that looks somewhat unique and recognizable (or iconic even). Otherwise, you would've been off better slapping a roof over the original stadium, at least imo. But then again, there isn't enough detail in those sketches.

[baron-pierreIV]

Yeah, but it's those arches (even in the Zahid design) that they couldn't get through the streets of Tokyo. However, I think I now understand the rationale behind Zahid's design. Those over-sized trusses are in preparation for a giant earthquake since Tokyo is in very volatile e-quake country.

So the Japs will just have to decide between safety and/or costs.

Edited June 6, 2015 by baron-pierreIV

[phandrosis]

I think they're just gonna keep the current design with the appropriate temporary parts and post production. In reality, it's just too late to change the design. They've the contracts for the stadium construction already set up.

[baron-pierreIV]

They've the contracts for the stadium construction already set up.

Well, not really. There are such things as 'change orders' in construction wherein the owners can change their minds at the last minute if circumstances merit or demand it. We are entering Phase II of a lot of reconstructive work in my condo complex (and I am on the Association's Board), and we come up with a lot of last-minute 'Change Orders' wherein a decision has to be made on the spot - for whatever reason, to stop something, change or adjust. After all, we (the Assocation) are the one paying for the work, so things could still change for this project.

[Palette86]

National Stadium architects reject reports they may be fired

The architects behind Tokyo’s new National Stadium have rejected reports that they may be fired from the project as criticism mounts over the building’s cost and appearance.

A weekend report in the Hochi Shimbun said Olympic chiefs were considering canceling the contract with Zaha Hadid Architects, which was chosen to design the showpiece stadium in a restricted-entry competition in 2012, unless the design could be modified to meet budget and time restrictions.The site is currently being cleared in preparation for construction.

The Japan Sport Council (JSC), which is overseeing the project, last year forced the architects, led by Iraqi-British Pritzker Prize-winner Hadid, to scale down the design, reducing the height of the structure from 75 meters to 70 meters after the government slashed the budget from ¥300 billion to ¥169 billion.

The alterations came in the wake of fierce criticism from noted local architects who believe the 80,000-capacity arena will blight the landscape in the city’s leafy Jingu district.

These architects, who include internationally renowned Arata Isozaki and Fumihiko Maki, have variously described the design as “a monumental mistake,” “a disgrace to future generations” and “like a turtle waiting for Japan to sink so it can swim away.”

But Hadid’s firm late Monday night rejected suggestions that the JSC was about to cut ties with the company.

“Our client, the Japan Sport Council, confirms that, together with the Japanese government, they intend to retain Zaha Hadid Architects on the New National Stadium in Tokyo until completion in 2019,” the company said in a statement.

“The New National Stadium gives the people of Japan a much-needed venue of the highest standards for use by many future generations of Japan’s sporting bodies and community associations, their millions of members, participants and fans.

“The stadium’s design ensures it will be user-focused, productive and sustainable well beyond Tokyo 2020.”

The JSC confirmed Tuesday that it still plans to adhere to Hadid’s design, and will keep the distinctive 370-meter twin-arched roof that opponents have branded costly and time-consuming to build.

“We are proceeding with work based on the original design as supervised by Ms. Hadid,” a JSC spokesman said. “At the next stage we also have our own plans and that policy has not changed.”

Last month, sports minister Hakubun Shimomura hinted that the stadium’s retractable roof would not be finished in time for either the Tokyo Games or the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which Japan will host, and called for 35 percent of the stadium’s seating to be provided by a temporary structure that would eventually be removed.

But on Tuesday, a day after IOC President Thomas Bach voiced concern over the stadium project, Shimomura vowed that it will be completed on time.

“We will make sure that it will be completed in spring 2019 so that we will not lose trust from the international community,” Shimomura told a news conference.

The JSC meanwhile confirmed it is working with the aim of finishing the entire structure before the Rugby World Cup begins on Sept. 6, 2019.

“Of course we are working to finish work in time for that tournament,” the spokesman said.

June 15,2015

News source:The Japan Times

Link to this article;http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/09/national/national-stadium-architects-reject-reports-may-fired/#.VXjnh_msVT8

[Palette86]

*Correction:June 9,2015

[gotosy]

Stadium’s architect director says redesign would pose huge risk

LONDON – Introducing major changes in the design of Tokyo’s new National Stadium is a huge risk and would delay construction, says the project director.

Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the stadium is to be used for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Its futuristic design was seen as a highlight for Tokyo’s Olympic bid.

However, heated debate has been sparked between the central government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government amid increasing budget estimates and fears that construction may not finish on schedule.

Critics are calling for a redesign of the stadium that would provide a cost-cutting solution and also shorten construction time. Some have suggested the iconic massive arches, which form the backbone for the roof, be removed from the design.

Jim Heverin, Zaha Hadid’s project director for the stadium, said last Friday it is “absolutely” possible to meet the spring 2019 completion deadline.

However, Heverin said, “It’s taken over two years to get to this point where we have a design which is ready to be constructed.

“If you introduce a major change, and over 45 percent of this project is structure, you delay statutory approval, you have to do significant redesign, and all of that takes time. You probably lose a year, and we need to start on site this year.

“The greatest risk to Japan is to not finish the stadium properly when the world is looking at Tokyo for the Rugby World Cup or for the Olympics, and the stadium is half complete, or it doesn’t look fully finished.

“You need a roof on this project, you need not only a roof to keep the rain and the sun off the spectators, you also need to support lights: You can’t show games without a lot of light and speakers. This (talk of no roof) is coming from outsiders who are standing on the sidelines, and of course these types of comments are easy to make, but the actual reality is that such types of changes introduce more uncertainty, and for no guaranteed outcome.”

Another widely discussed suggestion is postponing construction of the retractable roof, which fits in the center of the stadium roof — until after the major sports events.

Heverin sees this as a reasonable approach to relieving the time pressure on contractors.

“In Tokyo, you have a very clear brief, that you are very focused on the after-usage first, and then modifying it for the Games and the Rugby World Cup,” he said.

“There are certain parts of the project, such as the operable roof, which are really built for use after the Olympic Games,” he explained.

The mixed reception of the design and the debate surrounding the structure is not new for Zaha Hadid Architects, which has a global portfolio of large-scale projects.

“We’ve seen it before, particularly in other national projects paid for by the taxpayer, and a loss of national reputation rests on them,” Heverin said.

“(At this stage in the project) the design really has to be accepted that it is fixed, and it is about really negotiating on prices for that design,” he said.

Once people see their finished projects, he added, the response is overwhelmingly positive.

Kyodo

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/17/national/national-stadium-design-wont-change-roof-added-later-official-says/#.VYFIYUZnaf5

[Palette86]

Old Olympic cauldron spurs hopes of recovery from 2011 disasters

The cauldron used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was set up Thursday at a sports park in Ishinomaki, a northeastern Japan city heavily damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Workers used heavy machinery to install the 2.6 ton cauldron, measuring 2.1 meters in both diameter and height. It is being lent to the coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture during renovations of Tokyo's National Stadium, which will serve as the main venue for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.A local committee will organize a ceremony on June 27 to mark the installment and light a flame in the cauldron, attended by people affected by the disasters.

Shizuko Abe, 74, watched the work at the park from her temporary housing units. "I've been waiting for it," she said. "I'm sure it will lighten people's moods."

Organizers say they hope the cauldron, which originally symbolized Japan's restoration from World War II, will become a symbol of recovery from the natural disasters.

News source:Kyodo News

18 June,2015

Link to this article:http://www.kyodonews.net/news/2015/06/18/21061

[Palette86]

This is where the cauldron is...

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20150618/k10010119391000.html

[Palette86]

Gov't to keep design for Olympic stadium, cost to soar to 252 bil. yen

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan plans to keep the existing design for a new National Stadium with two gigantic arches, but the project to build the main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games is now estimated to cost 252 billion yen ($2 billion), far more than initially expected, government sources said Wednesday.

The latest estimate marks an increase of over 80 billion yen from the roughly 170 billion yen projected last year, leaving it uncertain whether the plan would win support from critics who have been calling for a change in the design by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid amid ballooning budget estimates.

Construction of the stadium will likely begin in October after the signing of a deal with contractors soon, the sources said. The stadium is expected to be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

The government is believed to have judged that making a drastic change to the design would lead to a delay in construction, even as criticism mounts that the current plan is too costly and will obstruct the landscape.

The new stadium will have two massive arches that form the backbone of the roof, a feature that critics have blamed for raising the overall construction costs. It will replace the iconic National Stadium built in central Tokyo for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

The government plans to report the decision to a meeting of relevant organizations engaged in preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, according to the sources.

So far, the government has been at odds with the Tokyo metropolitan government over how they will share the burden of the project costs.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is expected to explain to the metropolitan government about the latest review and ask it to shoulder around 50 billion yen, the sources said.

The sports ministry and the Japan Sports Council had estimated that construction would cost 162.5 billion yen and the demolition of the old stadium 6.7 billion yen.

To slash construction and other costs, they have proposed delaying the setting up of a retractable roof over the stadium until after the Olympics and making some 15,000 out of the 80,000 spectator seats temporary.

Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and others have argued that doing away with the two-arch structure and retractable roof will greatly help cut the overall project costs.

June 24,2015

News source:The Mainichi

Link to this article:http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150624p2g00m0dm078000c.html

[phandrosis]

The problem I see is that they do have the money (from their $4.5 billion fund they touted at the IOC session) but if the TMG doesn't tip in, the amount of funds left to build everything else and organize everything else will leave TOCOG in a tight spot.

[Palette86]

Old Olympics cauldron lit up in tsunami-flooded coastal city

A torch carried by an Olympic medalist on Saturday lit in Ishinomaki the cauldron used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and with it hope for the continued recovery of the northeastern Japan city inundated by the March 2011 earthquake-triggered tsunami.

The 2.6-ton cauldron has been lent to the coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture during the rebuilding of Tokyo's National Stadium, which will serve as the main venue for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

A fire rose from the dark cauldron as two-time Olympic medalist Koji Murofushi held the torch from atop the concrete base at a local sports park during a rainy ceremony.

"I hope the cauldron will accelerate the pace of reconstruction" in northeastern Japan, said Murofushi, who won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the bronze at the 2012 Games in London in the hammer throw.

Mitsuo Aoki, a 66-year-old carpenter in Ishinomaki, said he has experienced many hardships since the disaster but felt moved when the cauldron was lit. "It will be the light of hope."

Organizers say they hope the cauldron, which originally symbolized Japan's revival from the ashes of World War II, will become a symbol of recovery from the natural disaster.

==Kyodo

27June,2015

News source:Kyodo News

Link to this article:http://www.kyodonews.net/news/2015/06/27/22218

[JO2024]

I can't believe Tokyo destroyed a Stadium that would have been totally capable of hosting both Ceremonies and Athletic competitions with a bit of refurbishment. No, instead they decided to build a new one, that in the end would be quite similar to the old one, just a bit uglier and at a cost of € 1.8 billion. Thanks Tokyo, for showing a good example of what could cheap Olympics be: "Oh it's gonna be so cheap, because we're reusing most of the venues from Tokyo 1964! Oh wait. Oh, actually, no. It's no fun if we don't get spend billions and billions for the Olympics! Let's spend **** loads of money just to show the world how powerful and rich we are!" Like, seriously, how could a whole new stadium even cost that much??? Stade de France costed € 364 million, the Bird's nest in Beijing was $ 423 million, Athens Olympic Stadium renovation costed € 265 million...

I'm already reading comment from angry French people referencing this as a good reason for Paris NOT to bid for 2024.

[Rob2012]

I can't believe Tokyo destroyed a Stadium that would have been totally capable of hosting both Ceremonies and Athletic competitions with a bit of refurbishment. No, instead they decided to build a new one, that in the end would be quite similar to the old one, just a bit uglier and at a cost of € 1.8 billion. Thanks Tokyo, for showing a good example of what could cheap Olympics be: "Oh it's gonna be so cheap, because we're reusing most of the venues from Tokyo 1964! Oh wait. Oh, actually, no. It's no fun if we don't get spend billions and billions for the Olympics! Let's spend **** loads of money just to show the world how powerful and rich we are!" Like, seriously, how could a whole new stadium even cost that much??? Stade de France costed € 364 million, the Bird's nest in Beijing was $ 423 million, Athens Olympic Stadium renovation costed € 265 million...

I'm already reading comment from angry French people referencing this as a good reason for Paris NOT to bid for 2024.

This is their national stadium, same way SdF is your and Wembley ours. Replacing it with a more modern stadium capable of hosting many more events, with the associated backroom and corporate facilities is not an unwise decision. The costs going up is unsurprising for a Hadid project though.

I'm already reading comment from angry French people referencing this as a good reason for Paris NOT to bid for 2024.

Well, that's their stupid lookout isn't it? They do know Paris already has a stadium right?