Tokyo studio Nikken Sekkei has designed a timber communal building at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games' athletes village, which was built using 40,000 pieces of Japanese wood.
The temporary structure, which will serve as the central meeting place for athletes within the Olympic Village, contains a cafe, bank, medical spaces, lounges, hair salons, retail spaces and a media centre.
Top: the building will be used by athletes, officials and guests. Above: it was constructed using 40,000 pieces of Japanese timber
The 5,300 square-metre communal space is located at the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo on the eastern side of the athletes' village.
It was constructed from 40,000 pieces of sustainably Japanese cypress, cedar and larch, which were "borrowed" from local governments across the country. Wood was stacked in layers
"Use of wood from different regions throughout the building will express diversity and harmony," said the Olympics in a press release.
"In addition to revitalising the timber industry and contributing to the conservation of sustainable forests, use of Japanese lumber reflects the goal of reducing environmental impacts and realising sustainability by leaving a legacy that attests to the participation of all regions of the country in the Games."
It has wood interiors
Nikken Sekkei arranged the donated timbers to create a structure that draws on the design aesthetics of traditional Japanese buildings.
It is a low-lying, single-sto...