Dive Brief:
- Zaha Hadid Architects, whose design for the 2020 Olympic stadium was chosen by Tokyo but later scrapped in July due to cost concerns, announced it will partner with Nikken Sekkei — a major design and engineering firm in Japan — to introduce a new bid that will be what they call "the most cost-effective delivery plan."
- In July, the Japanese government announced plans to open an international competition for a new design for the Olympic stadium, with a cost limit of $1.3 billion. The predicted cost of the original design by Zaha Hadid had ballooned to $2 billion — nearly double its initial estimate.
- The contractors hired to work with Zaha Hadid on the original project are no longer involved, so the architect and engineer now have to find a new contractor who can take on the commitment of adhering to a stricter budget and reduced building time.
Dive Insight:
The rising costs of Zaha Hadid's original plan sparked significant public opposition. The architect, however, blamed the budget problems on Tokyo's construction costs, not the design.
Building to the original specifications reportedly would have created the world’s most-expensive sports venue, according to The Washington Post.
Japan’s education and sports minister, Hakubun Shimomura, also said he was considering launching a third-party investigation to find out how the costs of the original plan spiraled so high. The stadium was initially set to open in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Tokyo, but those plans have now been altered.
Olympic construction problems are nothing new. In early 2014, rumors surfaced that the International Olympic Committee was looking for an alternative site outside of Brazil for the Summer Games because of construction delays. And in early 2015, Brazil's Ministry for Labor shut down construction on two arenas due to worker safety concerns. In August, however, Rio's mayor said construction is now ahead of schedule and within budget.
Los Angeles seems to be unfazed by the problems in other cities, as it said it is ready to spend $4.1 billion — including a makeover of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and construction of a new Olympic Village — for the 2024 Olympics. Last week, the U.S. Olympic Committee officially endorsed the city as its candidate for the games.
