Kirkwood Mclean Architects

Kirkwood McLean have developed a pavilion scheme for the cultural programme associated with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

​

Our focus is predominantly on the ginkgo tree; a resilient, timeless tree, originating in Asia, but thanks to Engelbert Kaempfer’s 1689 expedition of Japan, common also to Europe and North America. 

​

Visitors to the Pavilion will enter through a dense cloister of trunk-like arches that open up to a central dome, bursting with colour. The dome’s surface will be composed of moveable parts, representing leaves that will respond to the weather creating a different environment dependant on the season and weather system at play.