GOING FOR GOLD

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Tokyo first hosted the Olympic Games in 1964, becoming the inaugural Asian city to do so. In 2021, the world’s greatest sporting event returned, transforming the Japanese capital in the process.

HEY MAY HAVE BEEN DELAYED by a year, but the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games finally made their mark on Tokyo in 2021. And what a legacy they left. Back in 1964, the events T were as much about showcasing the world’s most talented sporting stars as they were Tokyo’s gamechanging innovations, not in the least its shinkansen trains. It was a similar story this year, although with a major focus on sustainable development. The athlete’s village was crafted with residences powered by hydrogen energy and busses powered by fuel cells. And all electricity across Olympic venues was derived from renewable sources. Many legacy sporting venues were repurposed to host events. But eight state-of-the-art new buildings were created from scratch. Here, some standouts.

JAPAN NATIONAL STADIUM Built on the exact same footprint as Tokyo’s 1964 stadium, the new National Stadium has capacity for 68,000 people. Renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is behind the dramatic design, inspired by Japan’s traditional architecture and the environment, and incorporating an abundance of plants and natural materials, including latticed cedarwood and Ryukyu pine, sourced from all 47 of Japan’s prefectures. The eves were modelled on those that feature in traditional Japanese buildings, but they also have a practical use – to shield from sunlight and rain while also circulating air and cool the building, aided by a nifty misting system.

TOKYO AQUATICS CENTRE The main 50-metre pool is about as high-tech as they come, equipped with moveable floors and a wall so it can be converted into two 25-metre pools if required, and also change depth by up to three metres. The design of the ceiling is inspired by origami, that traditional paper-folding art that the Japanese invented. In a nice little twist of fate, the inverted-pyramid shape was conceptualised by Paul Tange, whose father, Kenzo Tange, designed the 1964 Yoyogi National Gymnasium. The 10-lane pool is heated by solar power, and there’s space to host 15,000 visitors.

WATCH

Go behind the scenes to see how some of Tokyo’s incredible Olympic structures were created.

OPENING SPREAD: The Olympic Rings in Tokyo © Chaay_Tee/Shutterstock

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Olympic gymnasts © A Ricardo/Shutterstock; the opening ceremony © A Ricardo/ Shutterstock; the Olympic Cauldron © Uta Mukuo; the Japan National Stadium © Tomacrosse/ Shutterstock THIS PAGE: Tokyo Aquatics Centre © Ryosei Watanabe istock/Getty Images ARIAKE GYMNASTICS CENTRE More recycled timber features in this staggering building, replete with a jaw-dropping 90-metre arched timber roof – the largest of its kind in the world – made from larch wood from the Nagano and Hokkaido prefectures.

The brains behind it are Nikken Sekkei and Shimizu Corporation, who were inspired by the Tokyo Bay area’s former function as a storage place for timber. Japanese cedar, meanwhile, was used to create the exterior shape of a ‘wooden vessel floating around the bay’, while the external concourse area is similar to an engawa (a Japanese-style verandah). The future? It’s set to be transformed into an exhibition centre so all can marvel at the architectural drama.

DID YOU KNOW

The 7,000-tonne, 10-metre roof of the Tokyo Aquatics Centre was created first, and then elevated in three stages as each storey of the building was constructed.