To cut costs in the wake of the scuttling of Zaha Hadid's design for the new National Stadium in Tokyo, the Japanese government has been considering plans to privatize construction, according to The Japan Times. The plan would open the doors for a private entity to eventually use the stadium for concerts and other events. Government sources told the paper that the new plan will be endorsed by cabinet members on Friday and be overseen by a panel of six experts, such as Seiichi Fukao, professor emeritus at Tokyo Metropolitan University, who will select contractors and make sure the project stays on budget. While this plan won't have a budget cap, another proposal is expected to be discussed later this month to enact a cost ceiling; many officials believe there should be a ¥130 billion limit on new construction costs (roughly $1 billion or about roughly half of the estimated cost of the Hadid design).
This new proposal comes during a week when architect Richard Rogers, who was on the jury that first selected Hadid's design, released a statement in support of the original designer, saying that Japan had "lost its nerve" by backing out of the approved design.
∙ Government aims to privatize National Stadium after 2020 Olympics to trim costs [The Japan Times]
∙ Zaha's Classy Letter to the Tokyo Olympics Lays Out Blame [Curbed]
∙ Zaha Hadid Isn't Giving Up On Tokyo's National Stadium [Curbed]