A sporting competition idealized by tens of thousands of athletes around the world, the Olympic Games are a complex organization with colossal economic and societal challenges. One of the traditional symbols of the universality of the Games, the Olympic Village. Its construction started in 2021.
It is the largest single-site construction site in France. It covers 52 hectares, the equivalent of 70 football pitches, on the banks of the Seine. The buildings are rising from the ground floor by floor and the 2,800 housing units of the Olympic village are taking shape little by little, straddling three communes of Seine-Saint-Denis.
From a former industrial wasteland will be born a jewel of urban modernity, designed for the Games. The village also wants to be a model of virtue for the environment. More than 30,000 tonnes of materials from the demolition of the previous site are recycled for new roads and floors. 20% of the district’s energy consumption will be self-produced by photovoltaic panels. Some of the buildings take shape thanks to wood, to limit the carbon footprint.
The work should be completed in December 2023. Once the time has passed for the checks, the Organizing Committee for the Games will take over from March to October 2024. Then will come the time for the final conversion of a district where a quarter of the housing in the park real estate will be dedicated to students and low-income families. Two new school groups, nurseries and shops will stand alongside hotels and offices connected by public spaces where plants and biodiversity will play an important role.
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