Fresh from the acclaimed openings of the Galaxy Soho in Beijing and the Eli & Edythe Broad Museum in the US, Dame Zaha Hadid can now add a new coveted project to her name.
Beating out 10 other finalists (including Populous, a firm known for their sports architecture, as well as Japanese heavyweights, such as Toyo Ito and SANAA), Zaha Hadid Architects were chosen by Tadao Ando and the Japan Sports Council to design the new Japan National Stadium. As Ando described the decision-process: “Our wish is to see a stadium designed by someone who shares this earth, with wisdom and technology that looks to the future of out planet.”
The new 80,000-seat stadium will replace the existing Kasumigaoka National Stadium in Tokyo. It will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup and potentially be the main sporting venue for the 2020 Olympic Games (if Japan's bid is selected). It will also be offered to FIFA as a venue for World Cup football matches.
The Stadium is scheduled for completion in 2018.
More images, after the break...
Story via Dezeen
