Tokyo, Japan (BBN)-A new, more scaled-down, design has been chosen for the main stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Spiralling costs had forced the scrapping of renowned architect Zaha Hadid’s futuristic original design, reports BBC.
The new design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, will cost 153bn yen ($1.26bn; £848m) to design, build and maintain.
Hadid’s plan would have cost 252bn yen, making it the world’s most expensive sports venue.
The scrapping of the design caused a row that eventually led to the resignation of Japan’s Education and Sports Minister Hakubun Shimomura in September.
Kuma’s design echoes Japanese temple styles, with a low-lying steel and wood structure, surrounded by trees.
“I think this is a wonderful plan that meets criteria such as basic principles, construction period and cost,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said when he announced the choice.
Japan’s Taisei Corp will lead construction of the new design.
It beat a rival proposal by architect Toyo Ito. That too was simpler than Hadid’s proposal, which was compared to a gigantic bicycle helmet or a spaceship, and would have taken up a much larger area.
The new winning design has also attracted colourful comparisons, with some saying it looks like a stack of pancakes.
Sixty-eight thousand spectators will pack the stadium, rising to 80,000 if it is ever used to host a football World Cup final.
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