Photo Essay: Olympic Architecture in Athens & Tokyo

Olympic stadiums in all their grandeur are often built at too large a scale to survive past the Olympic games. Converting them into usable facilities post games takes strategy and careful planning. Some countries have achieved success in this are while others struggled to keep their impressive stadium relevant after the closing ceremonies. Usually there is a certain degree of reimagining or renovating that is necessary to make the stadium usable on a consistent basis as the Olympic games are of such a huge scale the design used to accommodate such a large event doesn’t translate to future uses. 

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OAKA
Opening Ceremonies 2004

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OAKA Stadium 2004

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OAKA Stadium

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OAKA Stadium

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OAKA Stadium

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Olympic Aquatic Centre 

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Olympic Stadium Canoe & Kayak

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Olympic Stadium Canoe & Kayak 

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Olympic Village

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Olympic Village
Athens' numerous stadiums used for the 2004 games are an example of how poor planning can lead to the wastefulness of these buildings. Despite the current state of disrepair you see in the Athens building, the Olympic games actually did improve the city of Athens' infrastructure. For a city dependent largely on tourism, the revenue generated by the 2004 games allowed Athens to invest in new a new airport, new ring roads, a new metro, a new tram system, new trolleys, buses, telecommunications network and power stations.  It is ironic that Athens' slogan for the games was "Welcome Home" for its newly erected buildings are now completely abandoned and the Olympic Village in particular, the actual home base for athletes during the game, did not succeed in its plans to be converted into longer term housing. 

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Tokyo's National Olympic Stadium

On optimistic note, The National Olympic Stadium that was built for Tokyo's 1964 games, which was designed by Mitsuo Katayama originally is set to receive new life with a renovation for the 2020 games. Tokyo's strict building codes enabled the original structure to survive a 2011 earthquake. Now, Zaha Hadid will put $1 billion into its rejuvenation. Still, demolishing this existing, structurally sound piece of architecture is an example of how the demands of such a large scale event as the Olympics causes wastefulness.

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Tokyo's National Olympic Stadium

Tokyo's stadium has enjoyed far more regular use than Athens after the games. 

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Proposal for 2020 Tokyo Renovated National Olympic Stadium

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Proposal for 2020 Tokyo Renovated National Olympic Stadium

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Proposal for 2020 Tokyo Renovated National Olympic Stadium

It remains to be seen whether the money Tokyo plans to pour into their new facility will be well spent as is whether the facility will remain in use after the games. Previously, Tokyo has found success in this regard, using their 1964 facility right up to this day. Perhaps with some renovations and a more concrete plan Athens' Olympic buildings would not have suffered in disrepair. Careful planning and attention must paid in creating such large scale architecture. With a post-Olympic plan as detailed as the originals, these buildings would have a chance at survival.