For the past century, statement architecture has been a central feature of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With sustainability concerns growing, future games may see fewer permanent venues. At Paris 2024, the focus is on existing structures, with a notable new timber aquatics center.
Here are 15 architecturally significant Olympic buildings from the past century:
Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam 1928 by Jan Wils
Red-brick stadium, key example of Amsterdam School architecture.
Features a 46-metre tower with the first Olympic flame cauldron.
Olympic Stadium, Berlin 1936 by Werner March and Albert Speer
Designed as the centerpiece for the infamous 1936 Olympics.
Hosted 1974 and 2006 World Cups and the 2024 Euro final.
Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome 1960 by Annibale Vitellozzi and Pier Luigi Nervi
Basketball venue with a 60-metre-diameter dome.
Thin reinforced-concrete roof created from prefabricated pieces.
Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1964 by Kenzo Tange
Aquatics center with a distinctive draped roof.
Roof hung from large steel cables anchored to the ground.
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo 1964 by Mamoru Yamada
Octagonal venue designed for judo events, reused for karate in 2020.
Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City 1968 by Félix Candela
Basketball arena with a copper-clad plywood roof supported by a tubular aluminium frame.
Olympiapark, Munich 1972 by Behnisch & Partner and Frei Otto
Venues topped with a translucent canopy designed by Otto, supported on 58 pylons.
Olympic Stadium, Montreal 1976 by Roger Taillibert
Known as The Big O, with a retractable roof attached to a 165-metre-high tower.
Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul 1988 by Kim Swoo-geun and David H Geiger
Gymnastics venue with a self-supporting cable dome roof.
Montjuïc Communications Tower, Barcelona 1992 by Santiago Calatrava
Designed to transmit television coverage, evokes an athlete holding a torch.
Olympic Velodrome, Athens 2004 by Santiago Calatrava
Roof hung from cables supported on tubular steel arches, clad with wood internally.
National Stadium, Beijing 2008 by Herzog & de Meuron
Known as the Bird’s Nest, with a distinctive steel lattice envelope.
London Aquatics Centre, London 2012 by Zaha Hadid Architects
Swooping main building flanked by temporary seating stands.
Velodrome, London 2012 by Hopkins Architects
Topped with a Pringle-shaped steel-framed roof.
Japan National Stadium, Tokyo 2020 by Kengo Kuma
Oval stadium constructed partly from timber, wrapped in terraces with plants.
These buildings have not only formed the backdrop for athletic endeavors but have often helped define each Olympic Games.
