The top athletes of the world will spend some of their time downtime inside a communal space built mostly by using reusable timber during the Olympics slated to take place in July this year at Tokyo.
The athletes village plaza which was unveiled by the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is made from around 40,000 timber pieces donated by 63 municipal governments of Japan. Each of the pieces of timber is marked with the name of the area which provided it and they will be returned to the municipal corporations after the Games get over as the building will be dismantled.
Organisers aim to offset all carbon emissions generated during Games
"The main feature (of Tokyo 2020) is that plenty of timber is used, not only in this village plaza but also in other venues," Tokyo 2020 venues sustainability manager Nariki Makihara told Reuters.
The plaza will host the official welcome ceremonies of all the National Olympic Committees. It will also provide a social hub for athletes during the Games, featuring a general store and cafe. The wooden structure, which draws on Japanese minimalist design aesthetics, follows Tokyo 2020 theme of using timber in the construction of Olympics venues, including the National Stadium.
Tokyo's Olympics organisers also aim to offset all carbon emissions generated during the Games, which begins on July 24. Environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have previously accused Tokyo 2020 organisers of failing to end the use of timber associated with rainforest destruction and human rights abuses. Organisers dispute those claims.
