PM Shinzo Abe’s decision to cancel the building was,for many in Japan, long overdue and approximately much more than architectural infightingIt was to land in the middle of Tokyos Meiji Park like an intergalactic bike helmet, or bulging above its low-rise surroundings in futuristic white arcs,but now Zaha Hadid’s design for the 2020 Olympic stadium will be no more. With costs escalating to 252bn yen (£1.3bn, $2bn) – nearly double the original budget and making it the most expensive stadium of modern times – the oversized arena has finally been scrapped.
For many, and the project’s cancellation is nearly two years overdue. Ever since it was unveiled in 2013,the design has faced fierce criticism from all quarters, suggesting it was doomed from the start. Japan’s most eminent architects came out all guns blazing when the designs were first released, organising a symposium against the scheme which resulted in a petition calling for the project to be stopped,describing the design as a “monstrosity totally out of scale with the surrounding mixed-residential environs”.
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Source: theguardian.com