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Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido Island in northern Japan and has a population of 1.8 million. In 1972, the Winter Olympic Games were held there, and in 2002, it was one of the 10 venues in Japan to stage the soccer World Cup. This suggested the idea of a stadium with an easy-to-change grassed playing field that could be used for various purposes regardless of weather conditions. The arena has a domed roof, mechanically variable rows of seating and a movable grass pitch, which can be rolled out into the open air. The complex is used not only for professional sport, but for exhibitions, trade fairs, pop concerts and other major events. The international competition held for the stadium design was won by Hiroshi Hara. He proposed a “double arena” with a figure-of-eight layout, the two circles of which have a radius of 72.20m. Within the hall, the seating is arranged in tiers, whereas the open-air -arena is enclosed by an embankment of grass on which spectators can sit. Since an openable roof was out of the question in a region with such heavy snowfall, the architect decided to move the playing field instead. In this way, the grass would receive the necessary exposure to outdoor conditions for a number of hours every day. During the winter, it can be left beneath a blanket of snow. In the spring, when the thaw sets in, heating coils prevent it freezing again. A special apparatus was designed for the stadium.