Will Tokyo’s Second Olympics Leave a Design Legacy?

The new national stadium of Japan, by Zaha Hadid Architects, will be built for the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In September, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the host city for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020. A town with a good track record, Tokyo beat out Istanbul and Madrid and took the prize for the third time.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A range of existing facilities will be used for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games, including Rafael Violys Tokyo International Forum, a civic complex completed in 1996.

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The city was first selected for the 1940 summer games, which were canceled due to World War II. Tokyos second win was for the 1964 summer Olympics. Symbolizing the end of Japans postWorld War II reconstruction, new athletic facilities were built and infrastructure was upgraded, changing the Japanese lifestyle for good. Now many are wondering what kind of legacy the 2020 Olympics will leave.

In preparation for the 1964 Olympics, Tokyo underwent several major changes including the construction of an overhead highway system, the extension of subway lines, the widening of streets, and, just days after the opening of the games, the launch of the Shinkansen bullet train connecting Tokyo and Osaka. Our urban life, based on a network of underground trains, was a gift of the 1964 Olympics, says Professor Hiroyuki Suzuki of Aoyama Gakuin University. Most of the new athletic facilities were concentrated within central Tokyo. While a number of the original structures remain in use, Kenzo Tanges Yoyogi National Gymnasium stands out as the events iconic building. Flexing the countrys technological muscles, the building is topped by a spectacular swooping roof and, fittingly, was erected on the site of a former U.S. military base. It showed the world the power of Japans contemporary architecture culture, which has continued into the present.

This time, the main Olympic venues will be divided between two areas reasonably near the Olympic Village, in the middle of the city. To improve Tokyos already efficient public transportation network, there is talk of adding new subway lines that would facilitate movement to the citys two airports as well as to one of the venue areas, the Tokyo Bay Zone. Largely built on landfill, this area is a relatively recent addition to the city and is still considered a little out of reach. More commercial amenities catering to the 17,000 athletes who will call the Village home are also anticipated. These will make the neighborhood more enticing after the Olympics, when temporary accommodations are converted into permanent residences.

But recasting the Village isnt the only adaptive reuse planned. A whole range of existing facilities will host the new competitions. While the Tange gym will hold handball tournaments, Fumihiko Makis Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium will host table tennis. Other buildings, such as Rafael Violys Tokyo Forum and various stadiums as far afield as Sapporo and Sendai, built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, will be venues for weightlifting and soccer respectively.

One building not slated for reuse is the 1964 Olympics main stadium. In preparation for the possibility of winning the bid, the Japan Sports Council held the International Concept Design Competition for a new arena in compliance with the IOCs current requirements. In November 2012, they awarded the commission to London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, which will serve as the projects design consultant in collaboration with a team of Japanese firms captained by Nihon Sekkei, Nikken Sekkei, and Ove Arup Japan.

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Will Tokyo's Second Olympics Leave a Design Legacy?