Kengo Kuma’s Design Picked for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium

It seems like, after a few uproarious years, Tokyo has made decision about the design of its main Olympic stadium; it will be designed by Kengo Kuma, famous Japanese architect. The Tokyo Olympic stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. So, what do we know about it so far?

The Japanese Sports Council unveiled computer graphics from two unnamed architects last week; both designs are oval shaped, their profiles are low and they used wood. Later, it was revealed that the two competing architects were Toyo Ito and Kengo Kuma. Why did Kuma’s design win? According to Takashi Moriyama, a critic and an architect, the judges thought that Kuma’s design was less risky. Kengo Kuma proposed using more orthodox method to build the stadium, while Ito proposed using new materials and an unprecedented method for construction, which should have shorten the building period.

It’s such an uninspiring reason, isn’t it? But, should we be surprised? Absolutely, not! This year in July, Zaha Hadid’s design, plagued by controversy, was scrapped because of its rising cost and massive size. Her striking helmet-shaped stadium called for $2-billions and approximately 840,000 square feet, while Kuma’s drastically simplified and reliable proposal is estimated to cost $1.3-billion and calls for about 780,000 square-feet.

Everything leads us to think that the key point of Kuma’s design is its modesty. Although Zaha Hadid modified her original design to be smaller, cheaper and lighter, it was too futuristic for its surroundings. But, was it? Some critics claim that Japanese authorities did not want a foreign architect to design their national stadium. Let’s face it, we’ll never find out the real reason. It’s, however, quite apparent that Kuma’s design is more aligned with Japanese tradition which is focused on harmonization between the natural landscape and the built and it promotes using more natural materials. Kuma’s stadium will be lower than Hadid’s design, therefore it is going to blend more seamlessly into the surroundings.

According to the plan, the Tokyo Olympic stadium will begin construction in 2016 and will be finished by the end of 2019.