Two for Tokyo Olympic Stadium, Take Two

Hadid's design (bottom, whose form was likened to a bicycle helmet) was shelved due to costs that ballooned to approximately 252 billion yen ($2 billion USD). With the second competition, the price tag is set at 155 billion yen ($1.25 billion USD), and therefore the schemes – anonymously referred to simply as as Design A and Design B – are more sedate than Hadid's design, which was marked by two large trusses spanning the stadium's long dimension and a translucent fabric roof. Design A is not only toned down, it wants to disappear into the park, given its planted exterior walls. Design B, on the other hand, has a porous exterior comprised of slender columns holding up the simple oval form.

Although the authors of the competing schemes have not been made public, according to The Japan Times, they "are apparently Japanese in origin," with some sources in Japan indicating "the designs were submitted by a joint venture involving Taisei Corp., and a another venture comprising Takenaka Corp., Shimizu Corp. and Obayashi Corp." There is speculation that Design A and Design B are the work of Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Toyo Ito, respectively.

The selection of a winning scheme is expected to happen by the end of the year.