Japan finally picks a new design for 2020 Olympic stadium

After an embarrassing turn of events over the summer, Japan has finally picked a new design for the main stadium to be used during the 2020 Summer Olympics.

After initially supporting a design by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the government scrapped her widely-panned design in July. Not only was its look widely mocked, but the price tag continued to climb past its $3.1 billion estimated budget. There were attempts to cut that down, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to just to scrap Hadid’s design altogether.

Now, five months later, Abe’s government has chosen a design by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. According to the New York Times, his oval-shaped design features natural elements throughout the venue. It is also estimated to cost $1.23 billion.

“It’s a wonderful proposal that meets the demands for timetable and cost,” Abe said of the design.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the contractor, Taisei Corp., believes that they can have the stadium finished by November 2019.

Hadid was not happy with the decision. She issued a statement today, criticizing Japan and even the architecture community.

“Sadly, the Japanese authorities, with the support of some of those from our own profession in Japan, have colluded to close the doors on the project to the world,” Hadid said. “Work would already be under way building the stadium if the original design team had simply been able to develop this original design.”

This was not the only controversy surrounding the games. In September, the original logo was scrapped because the designer was accused of plagiarism. The games still don’t have a new official logo.

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