Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Village: behind the scenes of a project that is unique, eco-friendly and focused on the future

One word that could aptly describe the Paris 2024 Athletes' Village is unique.

Around 300,000 square metres of walkways, green spaces and buildings of different sizes and colours will welcome nearly 15,000 athletes competing at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in France, before they are later transformed and given a second life.

SOLIDEO (Société de Livraison des Ouvrages Olympiques - Olympic Works Delivery Company) has been responsible for the delivery of the village after working closely with the organising committee of Paris 2024.

All of this has been done with several key goals in mind: to help create a sustainable city, improve the local economy and increase growth in innovation and technology.

The Paris 2024 Athletes' Village: renovation and repurposing

The location of the Athletes' Village was chosen because of the buildings that already existed in the space.

For example, the Cité du Cinéma, a film studio that can be found in the heart of the village, has been transformed into a restaurant that will be open 24 hours a day.

“Our goal was to use what already existed and add all the equipment and services we needed in order to control and reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible,” said Laurent Michaud, director of the Paris 2024 Athletes' Village. “This is why the majority of the services here will be available in buildings that already exist. In total, 3,200 seats will be available in the restaurant lobby, I think it will be the largest restaurant in the world. If you know of a bigger one, I’d love the know!”

The project has indeed been a great challenge.

“Right next door, there is also the directors’ studio and a couple of large empty structures, so we said to ourselves, ‘OK, let’s install training rooms in them,” adds Michaud.

The accommodation quarters for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes during the Games will be transformed into housing suitable for future use.

“Once we have the keys, there will be another phase of conversions,” he says. “Future residents will then be able to live there. The kitchens will need to be installed but the plumbing and electricity are already there. There will be a lovely kitchen and living room area.”

The Paris 2024 Athletes' Village: Continuing and improving on a legacy

In many ways, the development of the Athletes' Village has revolved around creating and transmitting a legacy.

The very first Athletes' Village was created in France for the Olympic Games Paris 1924. It was a strong and enduring symbol of those Games.

However, this new village, developed with the intention of leaving something behind for the city and the people who live there, has a very unique feel to it.

It is a village that is both fit for the athletes competing at Paris 2024 and one that will be transformed into a real neighbourhood. By 2025, the premises will have been transformed into housing and offices that will host 6,000 residents and a further 6,000 workers. Between Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine and Île Saint-Denis, housing, gymnasiums, green spaces and even local shops and services will be available to the local community.

An eco-friendly and inclusive project for Paris 2024

The entire Paris 2024 Athletes' Village was designed to be environmentally friendly.

“While constructing these buildings, we were cautious about our carbon footprint and used a lot of natural materials. All the buildings are less than 20 metres high, they have wood in their facades and often in their structures and floors,” explains Yann Krysinski, Operations manager at Solideo.

The village runs on 100 per cent renewable energy and all the food that will be consumed there comes from sustainable, certified sources. Photovoltaic panels on the rooftops will help satisfy local electricity needs.

Green spaces have also been included in the design, as well as a slope that leads down to the banks of the river Seine. It is an eco-friendly and attractive environment that adds colour to a growing neighbourhood. Everything has been built to be adaptable to predicted climate conditions in 2050, with elements that will help ease climate change such as vegetation and water in public areas.

Mobility has also been a key consideration for the Paralympic Games.

“A shuttle system will be put in place because of some of the elevated areas in the village. There is around 50 metres difference in height between the banks and the transportation area, so it was important to ensure that people with reduced mobility could get around and move easily from one part of the village to the other,” explains Michaud. For the same reason, ramps have also been built next to stairways.

And when it came to the design of the building interiors, ecology and re-usability were key considerations. During the tour of the facilities, the director of the village showed Olympics.com one of the apartments. It includes both parquet and tiled floors, white painted walls and a small balcony with a spectacular view. The setting is sober, classic and ideal for use both during the Games and its second life.

Continuing with the theme of repurposing materials, unused walls will be repurposed by SOLIDEO in other construction sites, the beds are made of cardboard and will be recycled after the Games, and the mattresses are made from recycled fishing nets and will also be repurposed.

“You will also see that duvets are available on each bed. They were made for Paris 2024 and the athletes will be able to take them with them at the end of the competition. It's a gift, a little souvenir.”

Yet another detail that makes a difference.