The first winners of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing were
announced Sunday with American architects Sasaki Associates
scooping two prizes for design competitions.
The event was held for the conceptual designs of two major venues
for the Games -- the Olympic Green and the Wukesong Cultural and
Sports Centre.
San Francisco-based Sasaki Associates won the US$250,000 top prize
for the Olympic Green -- the nucleus of the Games which holds the
Olympic Park, Athletes Village and the stadium which will host the
opening ceremony -- which was designed in partnership with Tianjin
Huahui Architect and Design Company.
Sasaki also collected second prize for its design for the Wukesong
Centre as no design was deemed good enough for the top prize.
Another second prize was won by Burckhardt+Partner AG of
Switzerland.
Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, who is also president of the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games Organizing Committee, awarded high marks to the
competition which is believed to have been the biggest of their
kind in the capital's history.
"This is a very successful competition," he said. "It was run in a
fair, open and transparent manner with so many top designers
joining the race."
Liu, who listened to the judging report from the 13-member jury
Sunday with other Beijing municipal government officials, said the
level of competition had been very high.
"I
loved many of them (the submitted plans).They are very good," the
mayor said.
A
total of 87 plans were submitted since the contest was opened in
April, 54 for the Olympic Green and 33 for the Wukesong Centre. The
jury consists of six foreigners and seven Chinese.
Jury president Liu Thai Ker of Singapore said his colleagues were
amazed at the variety and detail of the plans.
"There is an abundance of culture, creative ideas and illustration
methods in this competition and it shows the massive enthusiasm for
the Beijing Games from all around the world," said Liu, an expert
architect and urban planner who was a jury member considering the
designs for the Beijing International Exhibition and Sports Centre
in 2000 and Beijing Central Business District last year.
Liu said the environment, transportation, after-games usage,
"Chinese character" and feasibility were the focus of the jury.
Liu also stressed that actual construction would not necessarily
follow the winning plans. "These are only the conceptual draft
plans which are too primitive at this stage. The individual
constructions will be the subject of separate international
competitions."
An
open and free exhibition will be held in the Beijing International
Convention Centre from July 16 to 26, allowing the public to vote
for their No 1 choice.
(China
Daily July 15, 2002)