US architectural company Sasaki Associates, winner of the top prize for design of the Olympic Green, is at the center of disputes inside and outside the International Convention Center in Beijing, where its design is on display.

Design of the Olympic Green has received paramount attention from the public because it is home to the nucleus of the Games: The Olympic Park, Athletes Village and the stadium that will host the opening ceremony.

At least 40 percent of competing designers have proposed stadiums on the extended line of the central axis of Beijing. But their design concepts have been ignored, said Peng Peigen, with Tsinghua University's School of Architecture.

The central axis is the origin of the ancient capital. It extends from Yongdingmen in the south to Zhonggulou in the north, connecting many important architectural sites such as Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Peng attributed the "unfair" treatment those designs received to "the jurors' personal preferences."

The layout designed by the San Francisco-based Sasaki does not put a stadium on the axis.

Zhao Jian, director of Sasaki's Asia Representative Office, said his company does not want to build any monumental structure on the central axis because it would pale in comparison to such grand historical sites as Forbidden City.

The first-prize layout puts a forest park on the northern edge of the proposed Olympic Green. "We would rather let the axis vanish in greenery than put a stadium or tower there," said Zhao, who also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.

But Peng said a stadium is needed on the axis.

"If we do not put a stadium there, the axis will vanish like a railway without a station, going nowhere," Peng said.

Dissent is not limited to the central axis. The dragon-like water system was also criticized by many visitors at the International Convention Center until July 26.

They said they fear the water will become stagnant. Zhao said there is a water diversion channel to the north of the project to prevent this.

Other residents complained that the winning design plans are too simple and plain.

"To me, the winning plan does not reflect any Chinese characteristics," said a Tsinghua University professor identified only as Lu.

Others appreciated the simplicity of his design.

"For such a big area (the Olympic Green covered 1,135 hectares), Sasaki has designed the stadiums, water system and greenery in a very clear and comforting way," said Xue Zhongling, an urban design expert from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(China Daily July 23, 2002)