Constructionshows
Consultants Aecom and Arup are to team up in order to provide advice on construction and development for the 2020 Olympic Games, which are to be held in Tokyo. The Aecom/Arup team-up will advise on development and construction of venues for the games, as well as of infrastructure designed to help prepare the city for the event.
Japan recently committed to spending of US$4.5 billion (£2.8 billion) on the construction of ten new venues to host the game. This is over and above the previously-announced national stadium which is intended to host the opening and closing ceremonies along with the athletic events. The national stadium is being designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and carries an estimated price tag of US$1 billion (£620 million).
Aecom’s involvement is the latest in a string of Olympic projects for the company, and so far their involvement with the games has proven very successful. They provided planning work for both the London and Rio games to great acclaim. The company won the contract to provide masterplanning work on the Olympic Park for Rio 2016 before their work on the London games had even been completed, so their involvement with the Tokyo games is very much maintaining a trend.
This time around, Aecom helped with Istanbul’s bid to play host to the games, but they later made it clear that this would not keep them from bidding to work with the successful host city Tokyo. They were confirmed as a bidder for work on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mid-September, along with a number of other British companies such as Farrells, 3D Reid and And Architecture. Aecom’s chief executive of building engineering David Glover said at the time “We’ve got a great track record in this and winning cities always follow best practice.”
Arup also have a track record of providing work for the Olympic Games, having previously played a role in both the Beijing and London events. Arup Director Jerome Frost, who previously worked on the London Olympics as head of design and regeneration, said “Arup is proud to have played a part in renewing Beijing and London in advance of the Olympics and is looking forward to continuing our contribution to the 2020 Tokyo Games.”
The two consultants will work together for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ Tokyo Organising Committee. They will provide advice on a diverse range of subjects such as security, transport, sustainability and legacy. They will also review the masterplan and provide advice on venue briefs. Ultimately, the team-ups involvement with the event will span from initial strategy development, through the design and construction delivery phases and right up to the legacy transformation stage.
Frost said that in their work on previous Olympic events, Arup had “been responsible for much of the urban renewal of the host cities, ensuring the events serve as a catalyst for long-term investment and development.”
Matthew Scott
