The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games flame is powered by hydrogen for the first time in Olympic history.
Japanese design studio Nendo‘s spherical Olympic flame cauldron was the centrepiece of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony.
“The dynamic, white structure was designed by Nendo founder Oki Sato to align with the opening ceremony’s concept of ‘All gather under the sun, all are equal, and all receive energy’,” Nendo said.
“Informed by the shape of the sun, the spherical form was made from 10 aluminium panels with reflective interiors.
“At the finale of the opening ceremony within the Kengo Kuma-designed Tokyo National Stadium these panels opened to reveal the Olympic torch, lit by tennis player Naomi Osaka.
“At the end of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the cauldron ‘blooms’ to welcome the final torchbearer,” said Nendo.
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“This expresses not only the sun itself, but also the energy and vitality that can be obtained from it, such as plants sprouting, flowers blooming, and hands opening wide toward the sky.”
The flame is the first at the Olympics to burn hydrogen. The green hydrogen was created through the electrolysis of water using solar power at a facility in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture in the west of the country. Unlike propane, which has been used as the fuel for previous Olympic flames, hydrogen burns with an invisible, colourless flame.
To create the yellow flame, sodium carbonate was sprayed into the hydrogen.
“The amount and direction of the aqueous solution sprayed from the vicinity of the burner were repeatedly examined along with the amount of hydrogen and the angle of the valve,” Nendo said.
“We adjusted the movement and shape of the flame to shimmer like firewood was stoked; such an attempt to ‘design flames’ was unprecedented.”
