Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to Feature a Wooden Arena
Date: 23-Jan-17
Author: David Rowlinson
Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
First published in Dezeen
According to the Architect behind the revolutionary design for the stadium to be used for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Kengo Kuma, the form of the building should be as subtle as possible, because then the material's character can reveal itself.
This approach is best illustrated by the stadium that Kuma has designed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: a wooden arena, with plants and trees filling the terraces that make up its exterior walls. It is a far cry from the more sculptural design created by Zaha Hadid, which won the original design competition but was controversially scrapped by the Japanese government after two years of development.
"I believe concrete and steel were the materials of the previous century, and the key material for the twenty-first century will be wood again,” said Kuma. “Wood used to construct the stadium will be sourced from parts of Japan affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011, and help create a building with a human scale.”
"It is oriented horizontally, its silhouette is as low as possible, and key structural parts are small and made of wood," he said. "Its size is closer to the human body, and there is a clear reference to the current situation in Japan."
“I'm very interested in the technique and technology of making a building. Most of the history of architecture is about the changing styles of architecture. But behind the change of style, there was often a change of construction method and changes in the way material was used. Especially in Japan, before the concrete technology that came from Europe and the USA, we had a very long tradition of wooden buildings.
"Wooden buildings and concrete buildings are totally different from each other. For wooden buildings, ageing is very important. With wooden buildings, we are able to design the process of its ageing. But with concrete buildings, people seem to forget the ageing of the material.”

Related News:
- Planet Ark urges Ipswich Council to reverse decision to send valuable materials to landfill - and the Council agrees »
- Great Projects Using Wood Honoured at Structural Engineering NSW Awards »
- Win the war on waste at work! »
- Australian Research Shows That Wood is Good for Health, Wellbeing and Productivity »
- Australian Architecture Firm AJ+C Wins World Architecture News Award for Sports Hall »
- Sustainable Australian Wood Panels Feature in Melbourne Recital Centre »
- Brisbane Showgrounds Set to House the World's Largest and Tallest Engineered Timber Building »
- World's Tallest Timber Tower Proposed for Tokyo »
- Timber and Prefab Sector is set to Kick Goals Again in 2018 »
- 8 ways to green your 2018 »
- Our green resolutions »
- East Fremantle First Town Council in Australia to Adopt a Wood Encouragement Policy »
- Laminated Wood Provides the Architectural and Cultural Highlight of Bunjil Place »
- Wynyard Station's old Wooden Escalators Repurposed Into a Public Artwork »
- Office paper flung all over the country »
- GBCA Gives Brisbane Showgrounds Redevelopment Six Stars »
- Australia's largest Residential Timber Building is an Affordable Housing Project »
- Pay it forward and get a recycled bargain on Buy It Back Day »
- Inspiring story: "Charging" up local battery recycling »
- Inspiring story: Making 3D printer parts from e-waste »
- Inspiring story: Building roads from cigarette butts »
- Inspiring story: Creating outdoor furniture from soft plastics »
- Inspiring story: Landscaping a garden bed from printer cartridges »
- 3 tips for businesses to buy recycled »
- International House 'Sister Building' Proposed At Barangaroo »
- There's still time for a Fling »
- The missing piece of the recycling puzzle »
- We're bursting with ideas, events and activities to share with you for National Recycling Week »
- UTAS Wood Project Wins the Built Environment Category in the 2017 Green Gown Awards Australasia »
- Why buying it back is good for business and the environment »
- Macquarie University Innovation Hub Wins Four Times in the 2017 Timber Design Awards »
- Timberlink Gains Dual Timber Sustainability Certification »
- International House Sydney Wins Grand Prix in the 2017 Timber Design Awards »
- What's so special about Naturale? »
- Wooden Pop-Up Globe Theatre Replica Arrives in Melbourne »
- Wood Definitely Sets the Right Tone in this Rhythmic Home for a Musical Family »
- Exquisite Way to Show the Benefits of Prefabricated Wood Construction »
- Macquarie University Innovation Hub Opens in North Ryde »
- Take the Schools Recycle Right Challenge »
- Sunshine Coast sisters launch Australian-first sustainability project »
- What do Smiths, Kathmandu and Jurlique have in common? »
- Keep on recycling »
- International House Sydney wins two major international design awards »
- Wood Undoubtedly the Highlight at Richmond Olympic Oval in Canada »
- Going plastic free: what does it take? »
- Free child car seat recycling trial »
- Wooden fire station to be built in Maryborough »
- The Positive Results of the War on Waste »
- Construction Begins on Australia's Tallest Timber Tower »
- Tasmania Leads from the Front »
- Tasmanian Government first in Australia to Adopt State-Wide Wood Encouragement Policy »
- Olympics Architect Brings Wood Back to Tokyo's Concrete Jungle »
- Softwood Timber Structures to Feature in Vivid Sydney Festival 2017 »
- World's Tallest Commercial Building Made of Engineered Timber Opens in Barangaroo »
- Sustainable Wooden Soccer Stadium Built on a Budget »
- Australia's First Rescued Food Supermarket is a Win-win for the Planet and Those in Need. »
- Brock Commons - Mass Wood for the Masses »
- GP Super Clinic - a Stunning Example of Nature Connected Design »
- Do you print on 100% recycled office paper? Epson does! »
- Wood - Nature Inspired Design Report Launched on World Wood Day »
- Wood - Nature Inspired Design »
- Wood - Nature Inspired Design Report Launched on World Wood Day »
- 14 Items You Can Recycle - But Probably Aren't (Part One) »
- Architecture Students and Refugees Build a Timber Community Centre for a Refugee Camp in Mannheim, Germany. »
- Australia's Tallest Engineered Timber Building to be Built in Brisbane »
- Fraser Coast Becomes the First Council in Queensland to adopt a Wood Encouragement Policy »
- Spotted Gum and Ironbark Feature in ICC Sydney »
- Construction to Commence on the Otago Polytechnic Student Village »
- WoodTek Headquarters - Taiwan's First CLT Building »
- Two More Wood Encouragement Policies Introduced in Western Australia »
- Kaikoura District Council Building Survives Major Earthquake Unscathed »
- Construction Commences on a 10-storey CLT Luxury Retirement Village in Sydney »
- Get Crafty this Christmas »
- National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life Launched »
- Low Carbon Football Stadium Made of Sustainably Sourced Wood »
- Planet Ark Launches 100% Recycled Office Paper »
- Planet Ark Launches 100% Recycled Office Paper »
- Win a YEAR'S SUPPLY of Naturale Toilet Tissue »
- Taking Shape - South Australia's First Timber Apartment Building »
- Canada Tops Out World's Tallest Wood-Frame Building »
- Post Back Your Post Packs »
- 5 Photos You Can Take to Help the Environment »
- Marist College, Bendigo Wins Sustainability Category in the 2016 Australian Timber Design Awards »
- New Nelson Airport to Showcase Engineered Wood »
- Construction Milestone for World's Tallest Mass Timber Building »
- East Gippsland Shire Council Adopts a Wood Encouragement Policy »
- Landmark Timber Skyscraper to be Built in Amsterdam »
- Community Garden Transformation Competition 2016 »
- Using Timber to Assist in the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy - A UN Report »
- First Shipment of CLT Arrives in Campbelltown »
- Community Garden Competition »
- Official Opening of the Centre for Future Timber Structures at UQ »
- Adding Trees - A Prescription for Health, Happiness and Fulfilment »
- Come and Join us at SEE Sustainable Experience »
- Keeping Warm for the Planet »
- World's Tallest Mass Timber Building Is Underway In Vancouver »
- Who Made the Top Ten Cartridge Recyclers »
- Cash For Containers In NSW - It Pays To Recycle »
- 57m Tall Timber Building Wins Competition In France »
- Fashionable Questions - Who Made Your Clothes and Where Do They End Up? »
- Maleny Wood Expo 20th Anniversary »
- Does Timber High-Rise Equal High Risk? »
- Four Eyes For Recycling »
- Norwegian Project Breaks Tall Wood Building Record »
- 2015 Australian Timber Design Award »
- New Code Allows for Eight-Storey Timber Buildings »
- Change Accelerates 'Wood First' Policies »
- Discount Tickets for 'dirtgirl's get grubby the musical' at the Opera House »
- Drink Coffee? Take our Coffee Recycling Survey »
- Re-Wrap It Up »
- Wood Encouragement - A Growing Trend »
- What's In a Label? »
- Is it Gold For Australia? »
- Make Recycling at Work, Work »
- Let the Flings Begin »
- Recycling Role Models »
- Inspiring Performers »
- Help Save Safe Toilet Paper! »
- Planet Ark's new packaging tool a finalist in Banksia Sustainability Awards »
- Garage Sale Trailing Right Around Australia »
- Awake to the Fun of Recycling »
- Declutter Your Office E-waste for FREE »
- Power Tool Battery Recycling Pilot Launches in Brisbane »
- Reduce Your Pet's Paw Print »
- One House, Four Hours, Four Tonnes of Recycling »
- The art of upcycling »
- Clean Clothes for Sensitive Souls »
- PREP For Better Recycling »
- Turning Trash Into Treasure »
- Wood - A Growing Answer to Climate Change »