We’re really excited to talk about a project that’s worth checking out. It’s happening in Japan. The Fukushima football club just announced they’re going to build a stadium entirely made of wood. A project that proves it’s possible to combine high-level sports, technical innovation, and environmental responsibility.

A human-scale stadium for 5,000 spectators

Designed by the architecture firm VUILD, this 5,000-seat stadium project successfully combines sustainability, citizen participation, and cultural heritage. The idea is to create a place where spectators feel close to the action in an intimate atmosphere rather than in an impersonal 50,000-seat arena. To achieve this, the building has been divided into four distinct volumes connected by wide walkways, each with its own entrance. This layout recalls that of traditional Japanese neighborhoods where each building maintains its identity while being part of a cohesive whole.

Once completed, the stadium will reach a height of 52 feet and will be divided into four volumes of 32,300 square feet each. This division isn’t just aesthetic because by fragmenting the building into smaller volumes, the architects cleverly bypass Japan’s ultra-strict fire safety regulations that apply to large wooden buildings. Without this trick, the project would have been much more complicated (and expensive) to pull off!

On the ground floor, there will be locker rooms, technical facilities, and food service points. The upper floor will house VIP lounges, media booths, and broadcast areas. Meanwhile, one of the stands will even incorporate hotel rooms, thus providing additional revenue streams for the club. The model of this stadium was presented at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale and is already seen as an international model of circular and community design.

Wood is much more than just a material

Local glulam wood for a technical feat

The wood will come from the forests of Fukushima Prefecture and will be transformed into glued laminated timber to form the structure. But wait a minute, what exactly is glued laminated timber?

The principle is simple: Several solid wood lamellae (1.3 to 1.8 inches thick) are glued together along the grain, creating a material much stronger than raw lumber. This method isn’t new because traces of it can be found as early as the 12th century in Japan, where glued bamboo and wood were already used to make composite bows.

Why use laminated timber rather than solid wood? Because the lamellae are made from the best parts of the wood: those that are free of imperfections, knots, or splits. This technique also optimizes the resource by utilizing small-section wood that couldn’t be used as solid lumber. So there’s very little waste. And in the end, glued laminated timber is generally stronger and more homogeneous than large structural lumber. But that’s not all! Because in addition to being able to create very strong beams of great length with small trees, glulam also allows you to create beams in whatever shape you want.

For Fukushima, the structure is particularly ambitious because the undulating roof is built with a complex technique that allows spans of 20 feet to be supported without metal beams. This results in a triangular profile that pays homage to the steep roofs of Ōuchi-juku, a historic village in the region.

When wood becomes a carbon sink

Unlike concrete, which massively emits CO2 during its production, wood stores carbon. Because during their growth, trees sequester carbon. A lot of it, in fact! So using wood products to build structures prevents carbon from being released into the atmosphere. And the numbers are staggering because one cubic yard of glulam stores about 1,300 pounds of CO2, while a cubic yard of CLT (cross-laminated timber) contains the equivalent of 1,150 pounds of CO₂ and has a negative carbon footprint of minus 850 pounds of CO₂ since its processing emits only 300 pounds of CO2 per cubic yard. By comparison, the production of a single cubic yard of concrete generates 350 pounds of CO₂.

A cleaner construction site and reusable material

Another major asset is that all components are designed for disassembly and reuse. So at the end of its life, the stadium won’t become a concrete ruin impossible to recycle because its elements can be easily dismantled and reused elsewhere.

Ecological solutions and natural air conditioning. When architecture finally works with nature.

A roof that adapts to the seasons

Designed for the climate of the Fukushima basin, the shape of the future stadium’s roof was conceived to provide shade against the sun in summer and shelter against cold winds in winter. Meanwhile, the facade geometries are well thought out to allow refreshing breezes to enter the venue only during the hot months of the year.

Rainwater collection and reuse

Rainwater will be collected, filtered, and reused within the facility. A simple but effective system that reduces drinking water consumption and makes use of this abundant natural resource.

Snow storage for 100% natural air conditioning

The choice of air conditioning system is probably the most surprising aspect of the project because in winter, snow will be stored to naturally cool the venue during summer. So it’s really worth looking into this ingenious principle inspired by ancestral techniques. Here’s how it works schematically: When temperatures rise in summer, the snow collected in winter gradually melts and the resulting ice water is used to cool the air circulating in the stadium. This gives us a passive air conditioning system that operates without a compressor, without chemical refrigerant, and without significant electricity consumption. To give you an idea of possible application, in Europe, old breweries still use ice houses that work very effectively just like in the Middle Ages by preserving ice or snow stored in the ground for over 10 months.

Energy self-sufficiency as a goal

The stadium also incorporates renewable energy production and a storage system to achieve energy self-sufficiency. The goal is to meet the very demanding criteria of the Living Building Challenge, which is one of the world’s most rigorous environmental labels. This label is kind of the holy grail of sustainable construction because it requires not only energy efficiency but also harmonious integration into the local ecosystem, the use of healthy materials, and a positive carbon balance.

When the stadium becomes a celebration with a community construction project

Collective assembly to better reconnect with traditions

The residents and supporters of Fukushima will take part in assembling the large wooden beams. And this isn’t just a PR stunt because the construction site will be experienced as a popular celebration and as a collective ritual. This unmistakably recalls the traditional raising ceremonies of wooden temples. These ceremonies called muneage mark the placement of the ridge beam and have been moments of community celebration for centuries in Japan.

The inspiration of Shikinen Sengu

The project is fully inspired by Shikinen Sengu, which is based on three fundamental cycles: local resources, community, and artisanal craftsmanship. This ancient Japanese tradition consists of periodically rebuilding Shinto shrines to transmit knowledge and skills from generation to generation.

Training and education of younger generations

Reforestation programs will accompany the construction to ensure that wood resources regenerate at the same time as the stadium. At the same time, woodworking training for young people will accompany the construction. This will provide a qualified workforce to carry out other projects later. This concept is brilliant because the stadium will become an educational tool that actively participates in the sustainable development of the region.

Taking ownership of your collective facility

Beyond the folklore, this participatory approach has a deep objective, which is to allow the people of Fukushima to truly take ownership of this facility. Because when you’ve participated in building your stadium, when you’ve carried a beam with your neighbors, when you’ve learned a trade thanks to this construction site… well, that stadium really becomes yours. Especially since this project was designed as a symbol of hope and regeneration in a region still marked by the earthquake and nuclear disaster of 2011. This inclusive and festive approach therefore transforms a simple construction site into a unifying event that creates social bonds and collective pride. Let’s hope this is a model that will inspire many other public facility construction projects.

A symbol for the future of sports architecture

To conclude, congratulations to the architecture firm VUILD and the engineers at Arup who developed this remarkable project! We sincerely hope that many other municipalities around the world will be inspired by it. Because in Fukushima, they’re not just building a stadium: They’re literally building a model for the future. And honestly, it’s good to see that it’s possible.

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