Zaha Hadid Architects has won the international competition to build the new National Stadium of Japan. The London-based architectural practice, which produced the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games, was selected ahead of 45 other international architecture firms for the US $1.62bn development.
The announcement was made in Tokyo by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who chaired a judging panel that also included British architects Richard Rogers and Norman Foster. The competition rules specified the stadium must be able to seat 80,000 people; have a retractable roof, be environmentally efficient and complement the surrounding landscape. It must also be up and ready by 2018 to host the Rugby World Cup the following year. The construction budget is 130 billion yen ($1.62 billion).
