PANSTADIA & ARENA MANAGEMENT 1ST QUARTER 2019 LEAVING A LEGACY A new approach to hosting major events, using existing venues alongside temporary infrastructure, is becoming the new norm. hile new build venues have wheelchair basketball and wheelchair The true epicentre of the project, Wtraditionally taken pride of place rugby), the Paris Arena I (basketball, the Village will be located a short at major events like the Olympic Games, judo and wheelchair basketball), 7 km north of the centre of Paris times are changing and there is now a the Velodrome national de Saint- and less than 2 km from the Stade concerted move to use as much existing Quentin en Yvelines (track cycling), de France. 85% of athletes will be infrastructure as possible. the Parc des Princes (football) and accommodated less than 30 minutes Cities throwing their hats in to the ring the legendary Stade Jean-Bouin from their competition venues. to stage major events are being urged to (Rugby sevens). All venues are spread across two main suggest existing venues, complemented Paris’ most emblematic and iconic sites zones, connected by the Seine river: by temporary infrastructure. will be transformed into spectacular A zone in the heart of Paris, with the The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic competition venues in the heart of capital’s emblematic sites highlighting Games is an excellent example of the city. the Games and a Paris/Grand Paris this, with the plan for one of the The temporary Grand Palais will axis, in line with the Greater Paris world’s greatest sporting events host the fencing and taekwondo urban development project, for fully aligned with the International competitions, the Esplanade des the Games to benefi t the general Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Agenda Invalides archery, and the beach public by meeting the needs of the 2020‘s “New Norm” of 95% existing or volleyball and football 5-a-side various regions. temporary infrastructure. competitions will take place at the The new Aquatics Centre will be built All new infrastructure to be constructed Champ de Mars, while the marathon, in close proximity to the Stade de in Paris, including housing units forming the triathlon and the open-water races France, and will be reconfi gured at the part of the Olympic Village and Media will start off at the foot of the Eiffel end of the Games as a local facility Village, in addition to the Aquatics Tower, in the cleaned-up Seine river. (2,500 seats). Centre, will help meet the long-term Finally, the equestrian events will take This will be the only sporting facility needs of people in the communities place in the majestic gardens of the built specifi cally for the Games. The where the venues are being built. Château de Versailles. construction of a second site, Paris Paris 2024 will mainly use existing Arena II, an 8,000-seat sports hall, world-class sporting facilities, Compact concept has already been planned regardless showcasing France’s know-how The Paris 2024 concept embraces of the Games and will be completed and expertise in organising major a ‘Games in the heart of the by 2021. international competitions and the city’ - a compact design for an country’s passion for sport. unforgettable experience. Temporary They will include the Stade de France Some 80% of competition venues, Grand Palais (opening and closing ceremonies, hosting 22 sports, will be located A programme of renovation at the athletics), the Stade Roland-Garros within a 10 km radius of the Olympic Grand Palais, planned completely (tennis, boxing, wheelchair tennis, and Paralympic Village. independently of the Games, has given 72 PSAM Magazine 1st quarter 2019 final.indd 72 20/03/2019 10:26:46 www.psam.uk.com rise to an opportunity to include the The Grand Palais FEATURE Temporary Grand Palais venue in the NO WHITE Paris 2024 Games concept. ELEPHANTS! This temporary facility is being created to host the major art, fashion and sport shows and events usually held at the historic venue during its renovation. Once the work is complete, the temporary structure will be retained for a few more months, until September 2024, in order to stage the Paris 2024 Judo and Wrestling events. The temporary structure will have a spectacular design, benefi tting from high-quality architecture that will see it blend perfectly with the area around the Champ de Mars. The venue will have an area of approximately 13,500 m2, capable of accommodating up to 9,000 spectators at Games time. The unprecedented staging of sport A temporary 50m pool for the The Grand Palais concept, which did not at these venues, both existing and Olympic and Paralympic swimming exist during the bid phase, will remove temporary, will see Paris transformed events and the water-polo fi nals, the need to create a temporary venue into an extraordinary Olympic City with seating for 15,000 spectators; a at Le Bourget, originally planned to enhanced by Games celebration sites 50m pool, connected to a 25m pool, house Badminton. along the banks of the Seine. within a permanent structure that will In the new Games concept, Badminton accommodate 5,000 seated spectators events will be held at Arena 2, located Aquatics Centre at Games time (2,500 in legacy) and will at Porte de la Chapelle, just 3 km from host Diving, Synchronised Swimming The newly built Olympic Aquatics Centre the Stade de France, creating a further and Water Polo preliminaries. (OAC) is designed to enhance the Games link between Paris and Seine Saint-Denis. experience for all groups (athletes, Two temporary 50m warm-up pools With a 7,500 seating capacity, this spectators, etc) while making use of for athletes competing in swimming, medium-sized venue fi lls a gap in the legacy planning. synchronised swimming and water polo French capital’s sports inventory, events will also be built. All Aquatics events (apart from the 10 and would have been built regardless After the Games, the permanent of the Games as a new home for km marathon) take place on a single site at Plaine Saulnier in Saint-Denis, next facilities in the Aquatics Centre (one Paris basketball, handball and 50m and one 25m pool) will be made door to the Stade de France, forming a volleyball clubs. available for the use of local residents venue cluster of the two major sports In addition, with Judo taking up a and schoolchildren in Seine Saint-Denis. of Aquatics and Athletics, situated just a prestigious new home at the Temporary The three other – temporary – pools will few metres from the Olympic Village. Grand Palais, it will be possible to be dismantled and reinstalled elsewhere concentrate all the Basketball disciplines The Games-time confi guration will in the department. In 2024, Seine- (men’s, women’s, qualifi cations and feature fi ve pools (two permanent; Saint-Denis will benefi t from nine new fi nals) at Paris Arena 1. three temporary): swimming facilities as a result of the The Stade de France will stage Paris 2024 athletics events 73 PSAM Magazine 1st quarter 2019 final.indd 73 20/03/2019 10:27:08 PANSTADIA & ARENA MANAGEMENT 1ST QUARTER 2019 Beach volley ball near the Eiffel Tower Games: The fi ve pools at Plaine Saulnier, “Using temporary infrastructure also prefabricated modular structure makes including three temporary pools to be makes sense from an operational it possible to use less material and reassembled elsewhere in Seine Saint- point of view. Something that is not give rise to less waste and emissions, Denis; and four new training pools for often talked about is if you build a new and three years may be saved for the the Games, in: Marville [renovated] – venue it adds to your operational costs whole construction. because it means that you have not got Aubervilliers, Aulnay and Noisy-le-Sec. “This is not the biggest benefi t. It is an experienced workforce on site. So always a headache to put a stadium to very often if you build new venues for Planning for further use after an international event. the future World Cups or Olympic Games, you have to buy international experienced “This stadium is a detachable modular Stefan Klos CEO of bid masterplanning guys in to operate them.” building, so it can be reused for other consultancy Proprojekt said that this competitions in other places and also new legacy approach embodied by Paris Ras Abu Aboud be pieced together into several small 2024 is gaining traction. venues. They can even be completely He said: “The way of approaching these converted into economically affordable kinds of events is about to change. The housing or refugee housing. Moreover, fi rst solution is temporary and modular. the place where the original stadium We've seen that at the London 2012 stands can be quickly turned into a Olympic Games where the grandstand green park.” extensions to the aquatic centre were He explained how the stadium will removed after the games. be built: “And we will see that at the Qatar World The Ras Abu Aboud Stadium for the “After the site is selected, the Cup 2022 where the local organising 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will consist framework of the entire stadium is committee is planning for temporary of 990 modular containers built in constructed with steel, then containers seating structures to be removed after seven storeys and it will be completed are put in place like Lego building blocks, the event.” in June 2020. and fi nally painting and decoration is carried out. That is how a modern The seating areas can be dismantled and It will be the fi rst large stadium in stadium comes into being.” then shipped to developing countries as the world built of modular containers a donation for football development.