91视频

Kengo Kuma, the Japanese architect in charge of the redesign of the Portland Japanese Garden, recently was picked to design the future National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Japan Times, Kuma’s design was selected after several months of reviews. In July, Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, scrapped an earlier design by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid because of its futuristic design and spiraling cost estimates, the article states.

Kuma’s design for the circular stadium features trees and plants inside and around the building. The roof of the round structure, dubbed 鈥渢he hamburger鈥� in Japan, showcases wood and steel and draws on traditional Japanese architecture.

Lisa Christy, marketing director for the Portland Japanese Garden, said she was happy to hear that Kuma was selected to design the stadium. She said Kuma won the bid for the $33.5 million garden expansion because of his superior design and attention to sustainability.

Kuma decided to bid on the redesign of the Portland garden, Christy said, after visiting it. He called the garden 鈥渁s beautiful as any in Japan,鈥� she said, and considered the project an opportunity to bridge the cultural gap between the two countries, she said.

The centerpiece of the garden redevelopment will be Kuma’s design for the Cultural Village. Its three buildings will house a learning center, a library, gallery space and a traditional tea caf茅. The buildings will all be Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-rated, Christy said.

鈥淜uma’s submission was so connected to what we were trying to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is Japanese aesthetic and culture and use of sustainable materials were so in line with what we are trying to do and who we are as an organization, tied to the past while looking forward to the future.鈥�

The garden is Kuma’s first project in North America, Christy said. In early February, the first exhibit of his work, which will focus on the Japanese Garden, will take place at AIA Portland‘s Center for Architecture at 403 N.W. 11th Ave. Details will be unveiled at .

The Japanese Garden will reopen on March 1, Christy said, but construction will continue until the formal grand opening on April 1, 2017. Progress can be followed at .