Olympic Aquatics Centre: Stunning eco-friendly Paris 2024 venue inaugurated

Alongside the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, the Olympic Aquatics Centre (OAC) is one of the new facilities built especially for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Located in Seine-Saint-Denis, in the city of Saint-Denis, the venue will host the artistic swimming and diving events, as well as the preliminary phase of water polo.

On Thursday 4 April, the OAC was officially inaugurated in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

"It is with great emotion that we receive the keys to the Olympic Aquatics Centre. We're very proud to see this magnificent facility delivered by the Greater Paris Metropolis, and what's more, a month ahead of schedule!" said Estanguet.

French President Macron was proud to inaugurate a venue that will have a long-lasting legacy, not only for athletes but also the general public.

“We want to welcome the world, our athletes to win a lot of medals and it to be an incredible moment of French pride," he said. "But we also want these structures to remain, as with the Olympic and Paralympic Village. For us, this is one of the big elements of heritage."

Olympics.com was able to visit the Olympic Aquatics Centre and take you on a tour of the new facility.

An Olympic Aquatics Centre in harmony with its environment

The first thing that strikes you as you approach the Olympic Aquatics Centre is its curved roof.

Supported by the largest concave timber frame in the world, spanning 90 metres and using a framework of more than 2,700 m³ of wood, it's a real architectural achievement. Its wooden appearance has also been designed to coexist with the future plans for the district.

The roof filters light, collects rainwater and captures the sun's energy due to more than 4,600 m² of photovoltaic panels that cover it, with its shape helping to minimise energy costs.

"The idea was to be as thin and light as possible," explained Laure Mériaud, one of two architects responsible for the project. "In total, our roof is 90 centimetres thick. As for the shape, we said to ourselves that what costs the most money in a swimming pool is heating the air, treating the temperature and the level of humidity. So we came up with the idea of a stretched, concave roof that fits as closely as possible to the volume we need."

Upon arrival at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, fans will be impressed by the proximity to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The two sports facilities are connected by a pedestrian walkway above the A1 highway. This 'suspended street' is 100m long and 20m wide and is intended to be a space for the public to enjoy. During the Olympic Games Paris 2024, it will be open, allowing fans to move freely between the two venues.

As well as being connected from the outside, the Stade de France and the OAC are linked from inside, with a unique visual aspect designed by architects Mériaud (from Ateliers 2/3/4) and Cécilia Gross (VenhoevenCS).

Once inside the OAC, to the east, you can see the Stade de France through a bay window behind the diving boards that will host the Olympic diving events from 27 July to 10 August.

"Our idea was to use the surrounding landscape as a backdrop," Mériaud explained. "When you walk into this swimming pool, you see the Stade de France and you know you're in Saint-Denis. You can see the highway too. We're in the city, we're in the heart of the building.

"It was very important to have a building that was open, welcoming and that made you want to come. You can walk past it and put your head against the glass."

During the Olympic Games, the aquatic arena will have 5,000 seats, the vast majority of which will be made from eco-responsible materials.

"These are seats made from plastic bottle caps. They are quite extraordinary," said Patrick Ollier, president of the Greater Paris Metropolitan Area.

The OAC has four pools in total; the main swimming pool, a diving pool, a 25m training pool and an aqualudic pool.

"We have the sports pools; one 50m, another 17m for diving, and then we have a pool where children can learn to master the water and conquer their fears, which also opens onto the outside world," said Mériaud. "Finally, we have a small 25m learning pool with a water depth of 1.3m, which will enable even more classes to learn how to swim."

One of the main advantages of the Olympic Aquatic Centre is its versatility. The pools are modular, meaning its length can be modified with two movable platforms with an adaptable floor enabling the venue to host a wide range of events.

Olympic Aquatic Centre: a desire to leave a lasting legacy after Paris 2024

The decision to locate the OAC in Saint-Denis was in most part made due to a desire to highlight Seine-Saint-Denis; a dynamic area of the Ile-de-France region of Paris.

After Paris 2024, the Olympic Aquatics Centre will remain open for the residents of the Greater Paris region and global athletes.

"The contracting authority, La Métropole, at the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, will leave a legacy: a highly modern Olympic Aquatics Centre, with four pools of different sizes, including one of variable size, which will be able to accommodate the French Diving Centre and, at a moment's notice, 3,850 people - from schoolchildren to the greatest competitors," said Ollier.

Located at the heart of the Saulnier development zone, the OAC is part of an ambitious urban transformation to create an attractive and accessible district, forming the centrepiece of a vast 1.5-hectare park in which almost 450 trees will be planted.

This state-of-the-art facility will host the European Swimming Championships from 26 July to 9 August 2026, almost 40 years after the last event was staged in France.

"France hasn't had a swimming pool of this size," Mériaud explained. "That's why it's important to have built it, and why the Olympic Games has made it possible."

In the meantime, the OAC will be one of Saint-Denis' flagship venues. It will welcome families, schools and associations in a bid to become a hub for sport.

"If we really want this facility to be a significant part of our heritage, we have to come up with ideas and projects that enable families and children who need it, to learn how to swim, or to improve their swimming skills," said Ollier.

The use of bay windows allows various activities to be observed from the outside and capture as much natural light as possible.

"Unlike an arena, for example, which is in the dark and where the spotlight is only on the sports field, this is a space where people come every day to live," continued Mériaud. "What we wanted was something light and bright. Neutral too, because the idea was for the blue water to be the main colour, alongside the wood."

French President Macron also highlighted the various possibilities the OAC will offer after the Games, with the venue set to host 5-a-side football, tennis-padel courts and a 1,000 m² climbing gym.

“This structure will be adjusted after the Games to make it a sport complex for all, to keep young people engaged with aquatic activities and swimming, but also for sport climbing, football and padel,” he said.

Users will be able to continue to enjoy the public spaces following the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The transformation of the OAC into a legacy facility will begin in October 2024, with the opening to the public scheduled for June 2025.

"The idea behind the Olympic Aquatics Centre was to achieve what we call the right balance; spaces that appear large and pleasant because of their openness, but which are not huge in terms of surface area. It's going to be seen by the whole world. There are going to be plenty of spectators from all over the world, and we have to be proud of its construction," Mériaud added.

The Olympic Aquatics Centre in numbers

• 5,000 seats at the Olympic Games Paris 2024
• Four pools: a sports pool, a diving pool, a training pool and an aqua pool
• 100 metres of "suspended street"
• 4680 m2 of voltaic panels
• 2700 m3 of European wood
• 1300 tonnes of steel with six supports
• 2025: opens to the public in June 2025