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After the Olympics, the village will be transformed into a new residential and commercial district.
Paris’s new Olympic and Paralympic Village is set to welcome the athletes of the 2024 Olympics, scheduled from July 26 – August 11. The village occupies an area of 51 hectares in the municipalities of Île Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, and Saint-Ouen.
With over 300,000 m2 of pedestrian spaces, gardens, and buildings of different sizes and designs, the village not only has facilities to host 15,000 athletes, but is also an example of sustainable urban development. In fact, in 2025, the village will be transformed into a residential and commercial district, hosting around 6000 residents and workers.
Led by SOLIDEO (Olympic Games Delivery Authority), the project was developed in close collaboration with the Paris 2024 organizing committee. Together, they worked to promote urban sustainability, stimulate the local economy, and encourage innovation and technology, ensuring a lasting legacy for the city and its people.
The new Olympic Village comprises both newly built facilities and existing buildings that have been repurposed with new equipment and services to minimize the carbon footprint. La Cité du Cinéma film studio, for example, has been transformed into a 24-hour restaurant with seating for 3200, making it one of the biggest restaurants in the world, while an adjacent sound recording studio is now training rooms.
Entertainment facilities, such as a cinema, games rooms, and spaces for cultural events, have also been created, along with leisure facilities, including sports fields, swimming pools, and green areas for relaxation and socializing. There are also medical services, including clinics and physiotherapy centers, for the health and wellbeing of the athletes.
The apartments include a small balcony with a view and are made with simple materials, such as parquet and tiles. They feature white surfaces for an understated look and an eye to their future reuse. The beds have cardboard frames and mattresses made from fishing nets. SOLIDEO will recycle all unused materials on other construction sites to avoid waste.
Designed with a reduced carbon footprint and to promote an ecological, healthy lifestyle, the Olympic Village is a model sustainable neighborhood. Among its key features are the low environmental impact of its structures, which were built using low-carbon materials such as timber, and advanced energy-efficient technologies, such as photovoltaic panels on roofs and geothermal energy. Systems for collecting and using rainwater are also in place for watering green spaces.
The project includes green corridors and a green slope that extends to the banks of the Seine, creating an environment that promotes nature and biodiversity. And the village is close to a wide range of infrastructure and services, including the Olympic aquatics center, the Stade de France, the train station, and the main metro lines. Each element was designed to adapt to climate forecasts and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, including climate change mitigation strategies and promoting the development of ecosystems that strengthen biodiversity within the design.
Numerous design studios participated in this large-scale project in the French capital. THE PLAN has chosen two in particular, the work of CoBe Architecture et Paysage and Chaix & Morel, respectively.
CoBe designed the Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Athletes Village. The site has three buildings: E2B1, E2B2, and E2B3, located in lot E2B. To reduce carbon emissions, the firm opted for pier and beam construction using timber and concrete. The three buildings, which integrate perfectly into the existing urban fabric, are centrally located at the intersection of three important public spaces: Finot Street, Ampère Square, and Coteaux Alley.
The buildings feature an interplay of different heights and a common base built with precast concrete structural piers that visually unites the three buildings. The façades feature sandblasted shades and vertical metal profiles that run across all floors, highlighting their verticality and providing additional support for the private balconies. At the upper level, these profiles transform into pergolas that protect the roof terraces and support the photovoltaic panels on the top of each building.
The apartments are designed for easy conversion from temporary residences for athletes to permanent family homes, thanks to the pier and beam structure that offers flexibility in space design. Some elements, such as the prefabricated bathrooms, can be easily moved and replaced to build new apartments.
French studio Chaix & Morel, led by Remi Lichnerowicz and Pierre Cornil, together with Walter Grasmug and Jan Horst, collaborated with real estate developer VINCI Immobilier to build Ecoquartier Fluvial in Saint-Denis to the north of the city center.
Occupying 68,000 m2, the project involved the redevelopment of early 20th century industrial buildings, including the Halle Maxwell and the Pavillon Copernic, retaining their original architecture and integrating them with new buildings to create a harmonious dialogue between heritage and modern architecture. The Halle Maxwell and Pavillon Copernic will host a range of functions for the Athletes Village, including reception areas, relaxation areas, delegation offices, and spaces for NOC/NPC organizations.
The development has not only preserved the history of the neighborhood but has also integrated new residential and commercial buildings into the existing urban fabric, giving the area a new nerve center. With a timber construction system that incorporates recycled materials. This approach reduced CO2 emissions by 40%, while ensuring low energy consumption for the offices it will host in the future.
>>> Discover Casa Italia at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Location: Paris, France
Completion: 2024
Athletes Village – Lot E2B
Location: Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
Architect: CoBe Architecture et Paysage
Photography by Cédric Colin, courtesy of CoBe
Athletes Village – Ecoquarter Fluvial
Location: Saint-Denis
Architect: Chaix & Morel
Photography by Vincent Fillon, courtesy of Chaix & Morel
