Special envoy to Saint-Denis
Under the gaze of the monumental Stade de France enthroned on the other side of the highway, workers are busy. At the heart of the Plaine-Saunier ZAC housing the former offices of the Engie research center, vehicles constitute piles of concrete rubble and metal parts. Since the beginning of March, in the midst of the Covid-19 health crisis, the major work on the Olympic Aquatic Center has started. In October a second phase will begin, the remediation of the site, before, in the summer of 2021, the laying of the first foundations. The works will be spread over 26 months, until April 2024, the date on which the complex will be made available to the IOC.
On Tuesday, Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, as well as many officials, visited this site entrusted to Bouygues. In a context of economic crisis and cost control, the construction of the structure with very high environmental ambitions is the subject of very special attention. The Paris 2024 teams know that they will not have the right to make mistakes for this flagship of the Olympic Games in the capital since it is the only sports equipment in Paris 2024 that will be built and bequeathed as a legacy after the event (95% of the sites dedicated to the Olympic Games already exist or will be temporary).
Happy to find @patrick_ollier, @TonyEstanguet, @PBraouezec & @StephanTroussel for the launch of the construction site for the future Olympic Aquatic Center, a beautiful ecologically exemplary project, job creator, accelerator of transformations for the Seine-Saint-Denis. @ Paris2024pic.twitter .com / fInZVJ733V
- Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) June 9, 2020" We are meeting dates and meeting budgets, which was no small task "
"We are meeting dates and meeting budgets, which was no small task," says Anne Hidalgo, reacting to the construction cost estimated at 147 million euros. “The state had set a target of 146 million euros. It was reached to the nearest million euros. The objective was fulfilled, "insists Patrick Ollier, president of the Metropolis of Greater Paris, referring to" a long arm wrestling "with Bouygues to stay in the nails of the budget.
With such a sum, Seine-Saint-Denis, one of the least well-equipped departments in terms of sports infrastructure in France (half of the children arriving in 6th grade cannot swim in this area), will acquire for decades to come from a great tool that will be linked to the Stade de France via a large gateway (the cost of which is estimated at 21 million euros). This “wooden jewel hanging from the sky” is also exemplary in terms of respect for the environment: bleacher seats constructed from recycled materials, 5000 m2 roof covered with Voltaic panels, wooden frame and frame made from organic materials. sourced and controlled water consumption (85 liters per bather).
During the Olympics, this new setting will host the water polo, diving and artistic swimming events around two pools (one of 50 meters and another of 22x25 m) that can accommodate 6,000 spectators. The swimming events will take place, right next to them, under an ephemeral and removable dome. This indoor pool will have a capacity of 15,000 spectators.
" For the city of Saint-Denis, the department and the region, the COA will go down in history "
Tony EstanguetAt the end of the Olympic fortnight, the aquatic center will see its capacity reduced to 2,500 places (which can be doubled in the event of a major swimming competition). The pools will offer maximum modularity with several possible configurations to accommodate the general public. “Behind this equipment, there is a strong and collective intention and a lot of work to find the right model. The Aquatic Olympic Center (AOC) will serve the high-level sports movement but will also be useful to the region after the Olympic Games. For the city of Saint-Denis, the department and the region, the COA will go down in history, ”explains Tony Estanguet, who insists on the notion of heritage left by Paris 2024 to the people of Ile-de-France.
They can come and have fun and play sports in a large 2.4-hectare activity area which will be expanded with a climbing wall, basketball, padel, soccer and skate courts. park, in particular. Many Ile-de-France residents will have to go there to allow the site to eventually find a financial balance. The Bouygues group, which will build and operate this equipment, thus counts on just under 1 million visitors annually. A very ambitious goal. The price list for entry to the Olympic basins has already been revealed: 4.80 euros for adults and 3.60 euros for children.
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