A huge two -kilometer ring and 20 meters high

Osaka It is known by its port, Your gastronomic offerthe district Shinsekaihis emblematic castle and sanctuaries, among other claims. Now (and at least during the coming months) to all of them A new Guinness record Fascinating: the world’s largest wooden architectural structure, a gigantic ring of 61,000 m2 raising following an old Japanese construction technique and has become one of the icons (and the most recognizable) of Expo 2025which has just opened in Osaka and will have its doors open until October.

The name of the gigantic structure, which It has already sneaked into In the Guinness book, leave little room for interpretation: they have baptized it Grand Ring.

A ring to govern them all. Although the Osaka-Kansai Expo2025 has the participation of more than 160 countries and regions, Its inauguration In Yumeshima it was headed by the highest Japanese authorities and its goal is Grand Ringa ring -shaped construction that will serve as a catwalk so that the visitor move to the shelter of the rain, the sun and the wind. And it is normal that it has generated so much interest. After all, Grand Ring is not just any ring. There is no other Like him in the world.

Why’s that? How much it measures. And especially for how it has been done. The structure is basically built with Japanese cedar and cypress wood and wild pine. Moreover, its creators claim the symbolic value of that mixture of native and foreign materials, although the former represent about 70% of the construction. Worldwide there is no larger wood architectural structure. And so the Guinness World Records judges, which already They have granted him The official plusmarca.

Question of measures. Grand Ring figures impress. The outer diameter of the ring reaches 675 meters (615 m in the inner face) and covers a construction area of Something more than 61,000 m2. As for the huge circular structure, it has a width of about 30 m with a height that at the lower end reaches 20 m. On the internal side it is somewhat lower and is around 12 m. The jobs to shape them started in June 2023 and did not end until August last year. In total the operators used around 27,000 m3 of wood.

Something more than great figures. The ring is interesting for more than its enormous size or its record size. The organizers of the 2025 Expo insist in which the structure was lifted by combining modern construction methods and the Tradition “Nuki” used in the building of Japanese sanctuaries and temples. In fact the ring is inspired by the millenary temple Kiyomizudera of Kyoto. In practice, Swissinfo needsthat means that Grand Ring was manufactured with a technique that does not dispense with screws or nails to hold the wooden beams.

To assemble the structure, the vertical and horizontal pieces are intended, forming a scaffolding composed mainly of cedar sugi local and Hinoki Ciprés. While the environment specialized in architecture and design Designboom precise that in the case of Grand Ring its creators resorted to metal elements to reinforce the resistance of the structure to the earthquakes. The Japanese manufacturing system has allowed for example that the kiyomizudera temple has remained standing For centuriesalthough over time it has been restored and rebuilt.

And what will your future be? Expo 2025 It was inaugurated Sunday 13 and will remain until mid -Octobera period of time during which the organizers hope to receive some 28 million visitorsincluding 3.5 million foreigners, with an economic impact that according to some estimates will move between 12,270 and 17.6 billion euros.

What will happen to Grand Ring once the exhibition ends is something that is not yet at all clear. His architect, the architect Sou Fujimoto He has recognized since he would like to be preserved at least part of the structure in his current location. The key It is that its land belongs to the city of Osaka and the construction to the Japanese association for the Expo. The international appointment has also been launched between news about the high cost of the installation (enough greater than initially expected) and a warm moment interest by the public.

Claiming the wood. “I would like to keep it, preserve it … because it is really wonderful and a symbol of how our society can live together with nature,” says Fujimoto in An interview With CNN. In case it should be dismantled, ask the wood to be used in other projects. “Although the building disappears, the spirit of the materials will remain alive.”

For now, Grand Ring has served something more than conquering Guinness records: it is a sample of the possibilities of wood architecture (An upward bet and that is already being used in The construction of skyscrapers), especially in Japan, where According to the US chaintoday about 90% of single -family homes rise with wooden structures.

Images | Eduards B (Flickr) and Expo25

In Xataka | We are creating transparent and latest technology wood with a goal: to revolutionize the future of materials