EGAO Kenko Stadium underwent large-scale renovations to improve facilities leading up to hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The renovations aimed to improve the environment for spectators, with changes such as LED lighting installed to increase illumination, updated restrooms, and improved air conditioning systems. The seating in the main stands and the back stands were upgraded as well.
The previous audience seats were sections of single piece seats, with bench-style seats without backrests on either side. With this renovation, all of the seats were replaced with two-piece seats with flip up seat bottoms. The feet of the seats were still in good condition, so they were used as-is, and just the top portion of the seats were replaced, which helped keep the renovation short in length and low on cost.
The seat backs and bottoms are deeper than they were previously, allowing for a more relaxing position. The seat backs which are shaped in 3D to cradle the viewer’s back are especially well suited to viewing rugby games, in which the players run quickly around the field.
The seats flip-up when unoccupied, which makes them 65 mm slimmer when they were before when no one is seated, and allows for smoother passage through the aisles. For a stadium which seats large numbers of people in the same row, this change is surely a great improvement.
The high-grade seats are the same as those used for other seats in the main stand, but with arm-rests included on each side. Each seat is 510 mm across, allowing for ample personal space.
VIP seats take the rounded form of the others and turn it into a more angular one, which increases the amount of seat touching the occupants body, and allows for even more comfortable sitting. Just like with the main stand, these seats also make use of the leg portion of the previous seats.
In the previous back stand, almost none of the seats had backs. Following the renovation, all seats have been switched to one-piece seats with a back and a bottom. These are a mixture of newly produced seats and those moved from the main stand.
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