The Grand Ring is a building designed by Sou Fujimoto for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Built using traditional wooden joinery, it covers an area of , making it the largest wooden architectural structure on earth according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Architecture.
The Grand Ring, as the name suggests is a large wooden ring covering 61,035 square metres. The Nuki technique is used for the ring along with modern technology. About 70% of the wood used in the ring is Japanese Cryptomeria and Chamaecyparis obtusa while the other 30% of the wood is foreign Pinus sylvestris. The ring is the largest wooden architectural structure on earth according to the Guinness World Records. The ring features a 2,025 meters long pathway on top named the "Skywalk", with five escalators and six elevators providing access to them.
Plans for post-Expo preservation.
The ring was originally planned to be demolished after the end of the Expo 2025, with wooden materials re-used in the future. However, private sectors have proposed preserving 200 meters of the northern ring to preserve as a landmark, while Hirofumi Yoshimura, the governor of the Osaka Prefecture proposed preserving 600 meters of the southern part of the ring.