exclusive: kengo kuma's completed olympic stadium for tokyo 2020

in 2015, the japanese government chose kengo kuma to design the new national stadium in tokyo, the arena which will form the centerpiece of the city’s 2020 olympic games. the project had been controversially taken away from iraqi-british architect zaha hadid, amid concerns of increasing costs. kuma saw off competition from compatriot toyo ito, who had also presented his vision for the venue.

now, with the olympics on the horizon, designboom visited the site to document the completed stadium and its surroundings.

image © designboom (also main image)

the stadium was officially opened in december 2018 with a ceremony attended by japanese prime minister shinzō abe, tokyo governor yuriko koike, and architect kengo kuma. in designing the venue, kuma wanted to place a strong emphasis on environmental awareness. with that in mind, it was important that the stadium fit in with the surrounding nature including the large green space close by known as the outer garden of the meiji jingu shrine. consequently, the architect conceived the building as a ‘living tree’.

image © designboom

the façade consists of overlapping, multi-layered eaves made of wood gathered from japan’s 47 prefectures while more than 47,000 medium and small-sized trees have been planted around the stadium. according to the organizers, accessible seating has been distributed on all tiers and floors of the interior, which will ensure visibility and comfort for wheelchair users. meanwhile, natural air will circulate to help discharge heat and moisture. this will be supported by 185 airflow-creating fans and mist-cooling systems to keep both fans and athletes cool.

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‘the facade consists of overlapping, multi-layered eaves,’ explains kengo kuma’s office. ‘the underside of each eave is covered with small-diameter wood louvers in an effort to express the tradition of beautiful eaves in japanese architecture in an appropriate contemporary manner. the roof has a truss structure which combines steel beams and laminated lumber with a medium cross-section, utilizing the axial stiffness of wood to minimize deformation of the roof trusses due to wind or earthquakes.’ see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

image © designboom