The recent announcement that Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games has been swiftly followed by the confirmation that the new 80,000-seat National Stadium of Japan designed byZaha Hadid Architects will serve as the location for the game’s opening and closing ceremonies, as well as athletics, football and rugby events.

Zaha Hadid’s office had previously beaten 10 other architecture firms to design the stadium, in a competition organised by the Japan Sporting Council.

The Stadium will have a fluid, dynamic form, a sliding roof that is ideal for open-air concerts, and a towering arch. The proposal also includes sustainable features such as a rainwater cooling system and geothermal heating.

The new building is set to replace the existing Kasumigaoka National Stadium.

Zaha Hadid Architects have just come off designing the London Aquatic Centre for the London 2012 Olympics, a project inspired by the fluid geometries of water in motion.

Images © Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid Architects 
zaha-hadid.com