‘kofun stadium’ by dorell ghotmeh tane, tokyo, japanimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

shortlisted for the 2012 japan national stadium international competition, paris-based dorell ghotmeh tane‘s ‘kofun stadium’ proposal takes the concept of the green roof to its most extreme definition. considering the venue’s large scale, intervention and particular location in the middle of tokyo, the design set out to create an earthen monument that would be hollistically integrated into the site, rather than a technologically foreignvessel that could be located on any arbitrary site. with the ability to be used year round with a retractable roof, the stadium consolidates all athleticand entertainment events into just one complete construct.

the canopy, referencing the century-old meijijingu-gaien forest, is made up of re-purposed structural members of the original sports complex, and serves several intrinsic functions to the project. apart from creating a natural landscape, a place of refuge in the center of the sprawling concrete city, it offers unique views and vantage points but also uses the properties of the mass to insulate the large interior space. rainwater is collected and recycled as a mist to feed the vegetation.

see the complete list of the eleven shortlisted projects here, and zaha hadid’s winning proposal here.

walkway to the rooftop gardenimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

view towards the city from the rooftopimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

playing fieldimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

image © dorell ghotmeh tane

image © dorell ghotmeh tane

sectionimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

sectionimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

elevationimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

elevationimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

sustainability: heat transfer and water collectionimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

sustainability: roof vegetation featuresimage © dorell ghotmeh tane

exploded axonometricimage © dorell ghotmeh tane