Paris, in September 2017, was designated as the host city for the 2024 Olympic Games, marking a century since the event's inaugural edition in the French capital in 1924. A herculean endeavour was initiated, aimed at creating 2400 accommodations for the athletes and staff and 119,000 square metres of activities, offices, and facilities. French architect Dominique Perrault led the project management consortium ever since Paris bid to host the games. Their vision for the Athletes’ Village, designed for SOLIDEO, uniquely embraced the ephemeral nature of the Olympic event. Rather than constructing a standalone village, they conceived a mixed-use district, imbued with a distinct historical character, to stand as a legacy beyond the Paris Olympics 2024, and to be a prototype for future development in the city. The ambition was to create a model urban space, which would weave the various geographical, social, cultural, and historical elements of the Saint-Denis region into the fabric of Grand Paris, eventually welcoming new residents after the Olympics.

An architects’ workshop was convened, bringing together 25 firms specialising in architecture, urban planning, and landscape design to shape the district's conception. Through numerous collaborative processes among these designers, the local governing bodies and the public stakeholders, the Athletes’ Village was imagined as a hub, reconnecting neighbouring municipalities and reclaiming the neglected relationship with the Seine. The site, a former industrial wasteland, spanning 40 hectares across Ile Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, and Saint-Ouen, is strategically positioned near key Games facilities and transportation hubs.

Embracing the site's topography, the design sought to capitalise on its natural features. This was done by integrating stepped terraces and sloping pathways descending toward the Seine, to offer panoramic views of the river and Grand Paris skyline. The pathways perpendicular to the river along with the designed landscape were envisioned as extensions to the riverbank, articulating ecological continuity and enhancing the connection between the district and the Seine. Central to the design philosophy was the concept of a ‘city-garden’ along the riverside, which also paid homage to the area's industrial heritage. Taking inspiration from this heritage, the forms were derived from the massive industrial cathedrals of the 19th and 20th centuries. The masterplan was populated with historically derived and easily recognisable volumes, which complemented the existing industrial architecture and landmarks. Six distinct urban blocks, referred to as boats, were designed.

Each block boasts its own unique identity and serves a specific function within the overall urban framework. These blocks range in height from four to 15 levels with rooftop gardens and a connecting green network. They have large openings on their ground floors to cater to pedestrians, providing porosity toward the green public spaces. In contrast to the monumental exterior scale of these masses, their interiors are intimate and delicate. The sizing of each built mass is sensitive to its relationship with the public spaces, its ability to adapt itself to a specific programme during the Games, as well as its capacity to transform itself once the village enters the legacy phase.

In the middle of the newly designed complex, is the Cité du Cinéma, one of the aforementioned legacies of the industrial history of the site. Spanning nearly seven hectares, this complex once served as a focal point for the neighbourhood. In accordance with that, the adaptive reuse envisioned for the iconic film studio aims to integrate it as a part of the Village fabric. Similarly, by restoring the underground parking garages and repurposing the former thermal power station, the site has been transformed into a dynamic public space with a distinct historical character.

The green connections between these adapted and designed public spaces have been made to emphasise the cohesion of the district. The layout of the pathways is in the form of a grid with two major perpendicular axes, the Mail Finot and the Allée de Seine, serving as vital links between the Pleyel station and the river, while parallel paths such as the Rue Ampère and the Central Park forming the recreational and cultural pause points. The Mail Finot, with its stepped design cascading towards the Seine, acts as a landscaped focal point and gateway to the city. Meanwhile, the Allée de Seine provides a soft, transit focused pathway, enriched by commercial activities along its route. At the heart of the district lies Central Park, serving as a unifying space for the community. Initially, to house a bus station during the Olympic period, the park's transformation post the Olympics will preserve its legacy and accommodate diverse recreational activities.

The park's design includes a Belvédère overlooking the Park and the river, under which a mineral area known as the Plaine des Sports is designed to cater to various interests and preferences of the participating athletes and citizens. A sports loop has also been designed for the games, which circles the Velodrome and the Olympic Swimming Pool. It also serves as a 24-hour circuit which links circuit, hippodrome, stadiums, football fields and golf courses, in a single ensemble.

This project prioritises sustainability and inclusivity, and attempts to create compact, diverse, and adaptable urban landscape. From rooftop gardens to shared sporting facilities, every element was designed to enrich the quality of life for residents and leave a lasting legacy beyond the Olympic Games. As the project progresses, it embodies the vision of a prototype adaptive urban environment, poised to become a central hub within the Greater Paris metropolitan area by 2050.

Paris 2024: Explore STIR's extensive coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through features, insider interviews, and thoughtful insights across architecture, design and art, to find out how the global sporting event engages the French capital across these creative avenues and beyond.

Project Details

Name of project: Urban project management of the Olympic and Paralympic
Village 2024
Location: St Denis (93100), St Ouen (93400) and Île-Saint-Denis (93450) in Paris, France
Client: St Denis (93100), St Ouen (93400) and Île-Saint-Denis (93450)
Architect-Urban Planner: Dominique Perrault Architecture, Paris
Area: 51 ha
Collaborators:
Operational urban planner: Une Fabrique de la Ville, Paris
Landscape architect: Agence TER, Paris
Engineering: INGEROP, Rueil-Malmaison
Mobility: CITEC, Lyon
Urban ecology and biodiversity: Urban Eco Scop, Villejuif
Accessibility: Françoise Folacci
Urban lighting: Jean-Paul Lamoureux