Japan turns to woods again: 2020 Tokyo Olympics stadium to use wooden roofs, facades
Post World War II and major earthquake of 1923, Japanese architects had started using concrete and steel to construct buildings to strengthen their structures, and had minimised the use of wood. But in last few years, the Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma, seem more inclined to re-introducing wooden structures for constructing buildings, especially the public buildings.
New Delhi. Having turned to concrete and steel for constructing buildings especially after vast destruction caused by the earthquake in 1923, followed by another spell of mass devastation and fire during the nuclear bombing of two of its cities in World War II, Japan is relooking at the use of wood in the construction of its buildings.
The epicenter of earthquakes, Japan where about 20 percent of the total of 1036 earthquakes in the world took place (2000-2009) is known worldwide for using wood as the main raw material for constructing buildings – residential and public.
However, in the last few years, the Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma, who has designed the new National Stadium for 2020 Tokyo Olympics seem more inclined to re-introducing wooden structures for constructing buildings, especially the public buildings.
Besides many examples like Nagaoka City Hall Aore and others, the coming up New National Stadium (新国立競技場 Shin kokuritsu kyōgijō) for 2020 Tokyo Olympics also will have a major use of timber in it.
The roofs and facades of the new stadium will almost entirely be covered in wood. It would also have stepped terraces and vertical gardens, and there would be trees planted in the surroundings using recycled water.
Being built at the cost of 148.9 billion yen ($1.32 billion) in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, it has about 2,000 workers involved in the project.
The stadium will serve as the main stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as being the venue for track and field events at the 2020 Summer Olympics as well as the 2020 Summer Para Olympics.
Satoshi Hachima, Professor, Chiba Institute of Technology and Shunsuke Kurata, Associate professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University who recently visited India during the launch of month-long exhibition “Built Environment: An Alternative Guide to Japan” at the Japan Foundation, New Delhi said that the main Tokyo Olympic stadium will witness usage of non-combustible wood.
“It’s because of the technology, the wood being used in Olympic stadium is non-combustible and won’t burn in case of fire. In recent years there have been certain changes in Japan, we are taking a relook at the wooden structures, especially in the public buildings. It is desirable that it is not only concrete but some aspect of wood should be part of the whole building,” the Japanese experts said.
The Nagaoka City Hall Aore designed by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma, it was designed to have local people come and use the space. Wood is part of the structure here that has use of concrete also. The architect Kengo Kuma who designed this building is thinking of propagating this idea for various other buildings coming up in Japan including the main Olympic stadium.
In the background, in 1923 Japan had a major earthquake in the Osaka area and huge destruction and fire were caused by air bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
“Therefore after World War II when Japan was rebuilding itself, it was thought to be important to build structures with the use of steel and concrete. And various aspects of protection from earthquake and fire were incorporated in the design of the buildings. As many as 212 earthquakes of the total 1036 earthquakes in the world, took place in Japan during the year 2000 and 2009). There is an economic cost to natural disasters,” the visiting Japanese experts said.
But in recent years, the focus of the Japanese architects is again limping back to introducing wood in the building structures, especially the public buildings.
While explaining the reason in the shift, the Japanese experts told Asian Community News (ACN) Network that besides the wood being used was non-combustible and didn’t catch fire, there was a social reason too.
The Japanese experts said, “More availability of timber is also one of the reasons to reintroduce wood in the constructions. As more and more trees were grown to protect land check landslides in Japan in the last few years, there is more supply of timber.”
[…] competitions such as athletics, football of the Summer Olympics 2020. Nearly 2,000 cubic meters of wood from 47 provinces and cities were used to build this […]