Currently undergoing restoration, the majestic Grand Palais will host the Olympic fencing and taekwondo events. But this is not the first time that this architectural masterpiece will meet the Olympic Games. During the 1924 Olympic Games, the Grand Palais had already hosted artistic competitions.
First of all, there is this feeling of being very small under a gigantic metal umbrella. The nave is immense; a feeling shared by Daniel Sancho, the director of the Grand Palais restoration project. He wears a construction helmet and vest and looks up to the sky. “ It’s a crazy volume: we are 35 meters high in the common parts, we go up to 45 meters in the central part, 13,000 m²… Industrial architecture is really the use of metal to the maximum of its capabilities », describes Daniel Sancho who continues: “ An extremely slender framework for the time, it is also the use of the rivet… We therefore have something extremely technically sophisticated from an industrial point of view. »
We also learn that the iron frame weighs 6,000 tonnes – the weight of the Eiffel Tower – and that the glass roof is the largest in Europe. Created in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais has continued to host major events, such as the Auto Show, as evidenced by the archives.
Olympic setting
Thanks to the work, the nave has regained its airy grace, the splendor of its metal lace and the transparency of its glass roof. An Olympic setting to initially host the fencing events. We close our eyes and imagine. “ We are setting up the playing field in the middle, stands for 8,000 people, we have the serving spaces around, under the main staircase, there should be the judges’ stand. We can clearly see that the size of this space of 13,000 m² compared to the expectations of a major sporting event is consistent. », assures Daniel Sancho.
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The only small pitfall when filming fencing is that there must not be too much light, so it will be necessary to attenuate it with a light curtain stretched under the underside of the frame. The main staircase, a masterpiece of art nouveau, will be part of the show since the athletes will use it during the finals. During the renovation, it was necessary, as with the frame, to find the original color.
“ We carried out classic stratigraphic studies, finding the traces, to arrive at this painting which is now in place. How to qualify it? Gunmetal brown… This is a much darker paint that really highlights the shapes of the staircase », explains the director of the Grand Palais restoration project. “ We see the reliefs appear, volutes in all directions, porphyry barrels, bronze elements which are attached to this porphyry which have also been restored. So we have something extremely delicate, the work regains its original qualities, its original colors », Adds Daniel Sancho.
In a few weeks, the clicking of the foils will replace the din of the work.
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