Rising above a deserted highway north of Paris, opposite the famous Stade de France, the Aquatique Olympic Center was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who described the center as “exemplary” and ” “It’s a completely new place…it’s been built with bold thought.” This is an unprecedented method. ”
Designed by VenhoevenCS and Ateliers 2/3/4 and conceived in collaboration with Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Inddigo, Inex and Katene, the natatorium’s unique contours Lame collectionor glulam to protect 6,000 ticket holders for diving, racing, synchronized swimming, water polo and bocce for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The innovative use of spruce and Douglas fir wood (glulam beams prefabricated in Alsace using a combination of French and Finnish materials) is certainly reminiscent of Eero Saarinen’s Dulles Airport Terminal, but similar The dot stays there. In terms of size, purpose and importance, this aquatics center belongs to a completely different category and has to accommodate completely different user groups, from park users to the French national diving team. Yes, the carbon reduction benefits of renewable bulk wood were attractive to both architects and owners. A regional committee called Métropole du Grand Paris was tasked with consolidating the 314 square mile site. Banlieue, its surrounding suburban departments, and Paris are incorporated into a single economic, environmental, and urban region. But certainly, demanding a length of wood roughly equivalent to a 300-foot-long football field, no matter how well bonded and reinforced, is extremely ambitious.
While the aquatics center has attracted attention as one of the few new Olympic buildings in France, architects were more focused on its viability beyond August’s closing ceremony. By fall, half of the 6,000 seats will be demolished, effectively sizing the facility for regular use and revealing a paddle tennis court adjacent to rock climbing, an indoor and outdoor soccer field, and an area for fitness classes. (The seat is made from 100% recycled materials.)
The sustainable specification extends to the pool itself, which uses movable walls to accommodate different events at different times, whether it be international competitions or local swimming lessons. Beneath the surface, the bottom of the pool is sculpted to varying depths, corresponding to the height requirements of the diving board above. The architects said that by shrinking the pool, they reduced the amount of water needed by 25 percent. The most sculptural aspect of the building is the roofline, which stands out in an almost empty area. By choosing a catenary curve supported by glulam rather than a boxy steel truss roof, they say they reduced the amount of conditioned air throughout the interior by 50%. Both initiatives, along with the rooftop solar farm, are reported to save 85% in energy.
Laure Melio, partner and director of Atelier 2/3/4, said: “And everyone comes in through the same door. The idea is that people need to meet and share with each other.”
But what does it mean for local residents to meet in an unfamiliar place, at the bend of two major highways, a canal, and more than a dozen railroad tracks? That remains to be seen. In contrast to Olympic developments in other cities that have failed in the past few years, the hope is to create both stadiums and what Melio and Gross call “ecozones” that will last long after the Olympics leave the city. It will forever define its legacy.
Saint-Denis is the northernmost part of the city’s perimeter. Banlieue—A ring of highly permeable suburbs where 80 percent of a metropolitan area’s population lives. Home to the Gothic abbey of Abbot Suger and the tombs of French kings, Saint-Denis has experienced a steady population growth rate over the past decade, 30 percent higher than Paris, although housing and public facilities have not necessarily been upgraded. It’s not that I’m doing it. In general, land in the interstices between highways, canals and railroad tracks in the city’s outer ring is ripe for redevelopment as the area undergoes so-called “reurbanization” programs. And the architects of the new aquatics center also set out to accomplish a social program.
“The main goal for us was to do a project for France in the long term, but in the short term we will make it work for the Olympics,” says Cecilia, Partner and Director at VenhoevenCS・Mr. Gross said., “It’s going to be a kind of micro-city where there’s a lot of different things for everyone to do. This is a way to bring the appeal of the sport to the whole region while also mixing different people together.”
Built along the bridge to the Stade de France, the aquatics center is also a means of providing nearby access for fans who come for reasons such as matches or concerts but are looking for an alternative place to stay. (To connect the stadium and aquatics center, the contractor Bouygues-Batimin required him to close the A1 motorway for three days in 2022.)
But for Meliot and Gros, if the aquatics center’s goal is to create something useful for France beyond the weeks leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that “ecozone” needs to translate into something tangible and personal. did. It’s not just about energy savings and calculations.
“It’s like a big one Cabane in wood,” Melio said. “It’s familiar. The trees are tactile and every time we visited, people – students and athletes – just wanted to touch the trees. Here, you can feel the wood, you can see the sky, You feel the fresh air when you stand next to the building. It’s natural.”
William Richards is a writer based in Washington, DC and Paris. team 3an editorial and creative consulting firm.