Father and son duos have been prominent in the past 50 or so years of sports history. Ken Griffey Jr. and his father, the Ripkens, Curry’s, Mannings, and many others. Now, with the Olympic games coming back to their home country, one Pritzker-pedigreed combination is leaving its mark on the sports world in a much different way.
Paul and Kenzo Noritaka Tange are the architects behind designs for two Olympic aquatics venues, spread 57 years apart, that will make history when the games begin in Tokyo later this month.
Aerial view of Tokyo's Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964. Photo: Arne Müseler / arne-mueseler.com / CC-BY-SA-3.0
The elder Tange completed Yoyogi National Gymnasium in time for the 1964 Olympic Summer Games. Featuring a spiral roof structure that the architect said was inspired by suspension bridges and Eero Saarinen’s Ingalls Rink at Yale University, the original Tange building took only two years to build and was finished only a month before opening ceremonies. (All the Handball events at this year’s games will take place at Yoyogi.)
Paul’s new facility will attempt to build on the historic lineage of his father’s. Featuring a roof that took origami as it inspiration, the new 15,000-seat Tokyo Aquatics Center made a big splash when it was unveiled to the public last September and will showcase a push for sustainability with a new state-of-the art solar-powered heat exchanger system responsible for heating the venue’s 10-lane pool.
The 64-year-old Tange told Reuters that he immediately visited the grave of his father in Tokyo upon receiving news that his design had been selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It made him reflect on his life’s work and career growth, and how it had all been shaped by a childhood spent at the foot of his hard working father.
“Everything in daily life was architecture," he remembered.
"With my father, there were never any loose ends. He was very much a perfectionist, and I respect the level of care he had for every aspect of his work," Tange told the Tokyo Journal recently. "While he was kibishii (strict) with both me, as a son, and all the architects he worked with, he was strictest with himself. He always wanted to push himself to the limit and expected the same of his colleagues. I respect that the most and hope to continue the tradition of his legacy."
"We hope to achieve the modern Olympic standard," the architect added.
The Aquatics Center will make its international debut when the men’s and women’s 400m heats kick off July 24th.
5 Comments
I'm very confused over what firm actually designed the new Aquatics Center as Tange Associates doesn't show up in any of the official project credits. Yamashita Sekkei is credited as the architects and engineers, with Cox Architecture as a design consultant. Is this the same building? Only this week was Tange's connection to this building made known in the English press.
The elder Tange's stadium is a lovely building.
he is definitely "the modern Olympic standard" if that means chasing after the money.
A tough act to follow.
nail salon in kolkata
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.