Zaha Hadid’s proposal to design the 80,000 seat, New National Stadium in Tokyo has been accepted. The structure which will replace the “Kasumigaoka National Stadium”, which hosted the 1964 summer Olympics will have elevated ground connections that will govern the flow of people through the site, while effectively carving the geometric forms of the building, enhancing and modulating visitors around the stadium for different dirtections and points of access. The project cost is estimated at 130 billion yen (1.62 billion USD).
The stadium will be completed in 2018 in time to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Japan plans to offer the stadium as venue in its bid for the 2020 Olympics and many other international events. They also plan to host a wide range of cultural and artistic events.
