FM newsroom – Olympic Games, Paris 2024, facility management. In the case of the Olympics, in addition to the stadiums, someone has to look after the comfort and security of the thousands of people moving into the Olympic Village. This is a challenge worthy of the best facility managers. At this year’s Paris venue, operators will be working with impressive numbers, scales and dimensions.
This year’s Olympic and Paralympic Village is located in the French Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, in the three municipalities of Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and L’Île-Saint-Denis. This global village will host athletes and members of over 200 Olympic delegations and close to 180 Paralympic delegations from all countries, cultures and sports.
A village by athletes for athletes
To design this custom-made living space, Paris 2024 invited 18 athletes to join the design and development process to optimise the Village’s organisation and ensure maximum comfort. The Village will provide delegations with everything an actual neighbourhood should: restaurants, entertainment, a beauty salon, healthcare, family areas, cultural offers, transportation services, a post office, and green spaces.
To limit athletes’ travel times and related fatigue, over 80% of Olympic and Paralympic competition venues are located within 10km of the Village, and most athletes will reside less than 30 minutes away from their competition venues.
Constructed with the future in mind
From the massive use of bio-sourced construction materials to optimising energy needs, the Village will ensure a 50% reduction of its carbon footprint over the buildings’ entire lifecycle compared to a regular development plan.
After the Games, Paris 2024 and SOLIDEO (the company tasked with delivering the Olympic facilities) will take on the Village’s legacy redevelopment in September 2024 so that Seine-Saint-Denis residents can inherit the venue. The Village will be converted into 2,800 housing units—including student residences and 32 to 48% of social housing, depending on the municipality—to accommodate 6,000 inhabitants and 6,000 employees in the long term.
The main areas
During the Games, the Village will be divided into three distinct areas: the residential area, the village plaza, and the operational area.
The residential area
2,800 apartments have been designed to accommodate four to eight athletes each. The accommodations have been equipped with a total of 345,000 pieces of furniture to ensure maximum comfort for the residents. After the Games, all furnishing elements will be reoriented towards a second life.
The athletes’ accommodation will be cleaned every other day, and 10 resident centres scattered throughout the venue, including three open 24/7, will be available for information, lost-and-found services, and support with potential technical issues. The Village also offers several launderettes.
Catering in the world’s largest restaurant
The Village’s Main Dining Hall meets the requirements expressed by the Athletes’ Commission. The 3,200-seat restaurant (the world’s largest!) has also been arranged for the athletes’ families to get together. No less than 1,000 employees will take part in this extraordinary undertaking to serve 40,000 meals a day.
Another 600-seat, world-food restaurant will also be available, while food trucks in the Village will enable others to grab some food to go.
Further amenities
- The 3,000 sqm Fitness Centre will be open 24/7 and have over 350 pieces of equipment available for athletes. The Village has 8 training venues.
- Five large spaces have been arranged in the Multi-Faith Centre to host the five most represented monotheist cults, but the Centre is, of course, open to and at the disposal of all.
- During their free time, the Village residents will also have the opportunity to enjoy the Village Club, an 800m2 space dedicated to entertainment, relaxation and conviviality, with a vast, sunny terrace. They will find there a Disconnection Bubble for relaxation, a Play Zone dedicated to arcade games and table football; and a Social Zone, a space featuring giant screens, a stage and a main bar.
- A Polyclinic, an actual miniature hospital, has been installed at the heart of the Village for the athlete’s well-being. It features emergency, imaging and optical services, many medical specialities, and a pharmacy. The Anti-doping Centre is located nearby.
The Village Plaza
The Village Plaza will be the only area open to outside visitors and the media. The Truce Wall, where the athletes traditionally leave messages of support for peace worldwide, and the Olympic Truce, is also located on the Plaza.
This iconic area of the Village offers a wide range of services, such as a supermarket, beauty salon, family area, post office, tourist and cultural information centre, and a cash dispenser. A giant screen has been put up on the Plaza to enable residents and visitors alike to watch the events and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
The operation area
The operational zone gathers the main transportation solutions, including the bus terminal that will take the athletes to all training and competition venues. A fleet of 55 buses will continually serve a pick-up and dropoff station near the shade-house, which fulfils the dual function of providing shade to the athletes while they wait, and helping to power the Village via solar energy from its photovoltaic panels.
To make it easier for athletes to get around the Olympic and Paralympic Village, the venue is equipped with a fleet of 100%-electric and inclusive vehicles. The shuttle features an access ramp and visual aids and will circulate every 2 to 4 minutes during the day and every 5 to 10 minutes at night. 50 third wheels for wheelchairs and 35 3-wheel electric vehicles will also be available via a mobile app.
Images, source: olympics.com
