HKS Will Design Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters' $530M Stadium

Architecture firm HKS Inc. was picked to design a $530M ballpark in northern Japan. HKS will design a 35,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof for Nippon Professional Baseball team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Construction is slated to start in '20, with completion expected in '23. Renderings of the ballpark, which will have a natural grass field, were also released. A new entertainment district development with restaurants, retail, housing and parks will be built adjacent to the new ballpark. HKS is providing design-build services for the Fighters' ballpark and will work with construction contractor Obayashi Corp. and project manager Yamashita PMC Inc. The Fighters are owned by NH Foods Ltd., the parent company of Nippon Ham. They currently play in nearby Sapporo.