Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron officially inaugurated the Paris Olympic Aquatics Center, a new competition venue that is quite rare in this year's Paris Olympics. In fact, for Paris' organisers, who have vowed to host the "greenest Olympics ever", up to 95% of the venues are planned to use existing venues or temporary construction, and the new Olympic Aquatics Centre is hailed as a pioneer and example of environmentally friendly and low-carbon architecture.
At the same time, in the "capital of art and fashion", the Paris Olympics have also become the focus of public discussion due to the sky-high sponsorship fee of 150 million euros of LVMH Group and the strong support of many luxury brands under its umbrella. This year's Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8. Whether it is the ultimate pursuit of sustainable development or the strong blessing of fashion and luxury, the precedent-setting 2024 Paris Olympic Games has set a record of the times.
Image: Olympics.com
01
From students to athletes, it belongs to everyone
Olympic Aquatics Centre
The Aquatics Centre in the Seine-Saint-Denis department is one of only two permanent sports venues dedicated to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the other being the Le Bourget Climbing Wall. Created by Dutch studio VenhoevenCS and French studio Ateliers 2/3/4, the groundbreaking, low-carbon building will host diving, synchronized swimming and water polo events.
Brand new water sports centre, photo: Salem Mostefaoui
French media reported that the venue, which "showcases French technology", has "the largest concave wooden frame in the world" and can "reduce energy consumption by 30%" of the building. The extensive use of wood is the most prominent feature of the water sports centre, with a striking giant curved roof made of around 2,700 cubic metres of native European wood. "We want to use as little material as possible, and wood means we don't have to use materials like drywall that are used in construction to hide structural elements," says Laure Mériaud, partner at Ateliers 2/3/4. At the same time, they have chosen to preserve the original beauty of the wood, as Cécilia Gross, architect of the VenhoevenCS project, says: "We don't have to paint, it has temperature, it has color, it has fragrance. You can smell it in the pool. ”
In addition, the aquatic center has a new modular structure that can accommodate 5,000 spectators during the Games. After the Olympics, the capacity of the venue was reduced to 2,500 people. At the same time, the competitive pool is modular, with two movable platforms to change the pool length and a movable floor to adapt to various events. Plenty of portholes bring in a bright and pleasant natural light, and solar panels on the roof provide 20% of the building's daily electricity needs, which the studio describes as "one of the largest solar farms in France". Not only that, but the 5,000 spectator seats are made from recycled materials such as plastic bottle caps, which shows the "environmental determination" of the venue's design.
场馆内部,摄影:Salem Mostefaoui
"As designers, our goal is to create more with less volume, less material, less energy, more connection, more workout inspiration, more naturalness, more flexibility, more beauty. "The result is a driving force for the urban renewal of Saint-Denis and of Greater Paris, a building that is both sober and striking, but above all a place where everyone feels welcome," said Cécilia Gross. ”
The Aquatics Centre is adjacent to the Stade de France, and the two venues are separated by an A1 motorway, which can be reached by a pedestrian bridge. This is a very meaningful project for the Seine-Saint-Denis region, which is severely lacking in sports facilities. As a permanent Olympic cultural heritage, Macron also highlighted the possibilities of a future water sports centre, such as the addition of a futsal pitch, paddle tennis courts and a 1,000-square-metre climbing gym that will become a "sports hub for everyone" after the games, from ordinary students to top athletes. After July 2025, the water sports center will become a large multi-sport facility open to all.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Aquatic Center, photo: Olympics.com
02
The "greenest ever" Olympic Village
I don't plan to install air conditioning
The lack of air conditioning in the Paris Olympic Village has once again become the focus of public opinion. At the end of February, the Olympic Village, which costs around 2 billion euros, was officially handed over and is located in the north of Paris, on the banks of the Seine, between Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and Lille-Saint-Denis.
摄影:Géraldine Millo
The 82-building Olympic Village features 3,000 apartments and 14,250 beds, with low-rise towers of various colours and sizes expected to welcome around 15,000 athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The concept of environmental protection and low-carbon is also infused into every aspect of the Olympic Village, using low-carbon concrete, timber structures, beds made from reinforced cardboard and recycled fishing nets, and even a small water treatment plant designed to recycle water and irrigate the surrounding trees. At the same time, the Olympic Village decided not to be equipped with air-conditioning equipment, but instead used high-performance insulation materials and sun blinds to block heat waves, and installed reversible underground pipes to draw cold water from the surface to cool down in the summer.
The new design has caused a lot of concern, as Paris used to reach 42 degrees in the summer. The United States, Australia, Greece and other countries have successively announced that they will equip their Olympic delegations with air-conditioning equipment.
The photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Olympic Village can meet the power demand of the park.
图片:Drone Press/Senns
03
The Olympic torch blends with fire and water
Gender equality is conveyed
Another historic significance of the Paris Olympics is gender parity in the number of athletes – 5,250 athletes from each gender will be represented this year. Just over 100 years ago, Paris 1900 was the first Olympic Games to allow women to compete.
The Paris 2024 Olympic torch is made from recycled steel
This important idea of equality was carefully incorporated into the design of the torch by the French designer Mathieu Lehanneur. As the winner of the Grand Prix d'Études d'Élédre de l'Urban, Matthew said, "We are more like sculptors in our design, wanting to create the lightest torch with the least amount of material." Designed with the three elements of the Paris Olympics as "equality, water and peace", the high-shine champagne gold torch is endowed with rounded lines and a ripple effect inspired by the Seine. The torch is perfectly symmetrical in both horizontal and vertical directions, reflecting the pursuit of equality.
French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, photo by Felipe Ribon
On 16 April, we witnessed the birth of the Olympic flame at the ancient Olympic site in Olympia at the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony, organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee. As the first leg of the Olympic torch relay, Tokyo 2020 rowing champion Stefanos Doscos from Greece handed over the lit Paris 2024 Olympic torch to France's first torchbearer, Olympic champion Laurie Manudo. On 8 May, the Olympic flame will arrive in Marseille, France, from Athens, where the 68-day relay will begin.
With the 100-day countdown to the Paris Olympic Games, the official release of the torch relay created by COURT Studio shows the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame in Greece before leaving for France
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Medals inlaid with historical fragments of the Eiffel Tower,
由Louis Vuitton皮箱守护
Last year, LVMH became the largest sponsor of the Paris Olympic Games with a sponsorship of 150 million euros, and several of the Group's Maisons participated in the Olympic cooperation, among which Chaumet became the first High Jewellery brand in the history of the Olympic Games to design and design the medals and torches, and Louis Vuitton took on the responsibility of protecting the medals and torches, designing and producing medal and torch storage boxes.
Chaumet设计的奥运奖牌,摄影:Thomas Deschamps
Chaumet unveiled its highly-anticipated Olympic medals in February, with the highlight being the historic metal parts of the Eiffel Tower. Using the Griffe Setting technique, customary for High Jewelry, Chaumet inlays the metal of the Eiffel Tower, cut into a hexagonal shape, at the centre of each medal. On the back of the medal is the Greek Statue of Victory, at the Panathinaiko Stadium, which hosted the inaugural Olympic Games.
The boxes for the Olympic medals and torches were newly designed by Louis Vuitton. Inspired by Louis Vuitton's iconic Malle Coiffeuse, the medal box features drawers in matt black leather for 468 medals. The torch box is covered with Louis Vuitton's iconic checkerboard totem.
05
The "wayward" Paris Olympic Committee wanted one
Purple runway like never before
The Paris Olympics undoubtedly have a strong self-assertion for the aesthetics of competition. Spectators will be treated to a new purple track in the main stadium – a light purple competition area for track races, jumping and throwing, and a peripheral technical area reminiscent of lavender from Provence. The Paris Olympic Committee explained, "We wanted to have our own originality. The two shades of purple will contrast strongly on TV, making the athletes stand out even more."
图片:Paris 2024
The Italian manufacturer of Mondo, which has been developing the track for the Olympic Games since 1976, revealed to the press that "it is very difficult to achieve exactly the color that the Paris Olympic Committee wants". For runways with a service life of about ten years, they also had to solve the problem of how to maintain color after long-term exposure to sunlight and rain. In addition, up to 50% of the new 21,000-square-metre runway is made from recycled and renewable materials. Mondo also revamped the underlying design to reduce energy loss on the soles of the feet and help athletes perform better.
Purple runway under construction, photo: Olympics.com
06
French Olympians talk about team uniform design,
Refusing to be a "walking flag"
In addition to LVMH's luxury for the Games, streetwear brand Pigalle also designed a unique team uniform for the host country's French Olympic delegation. Designed by Pigalle founder Stéphane Ashpool and produced by Tour de France jersey supplier Le Coq Sportif, the French team jersey was unveiled to the public after two years of development.
图片: Pauline Scotto di Cesare
Before embarking on the design, Stephen made a special appointment with a number of athletes. Interestingly, everyone asked him, "We want to see that it's France, but we don't want to be a walking flag." That's why Stephen has abandoned the sharp lines in the design of the uniform, and has adopted gradients and abstractions to represent the blue, white and red of the French flag.
Stéphane Ashpool and Le Coq Sportif have developed specific clothing designs for at least 40 Olympic and 24 Paralympic sports, photo: Pauline Scotto di Cesare
All clothing, footwear and accessories will be provided to around 560 Olympians, 280 Paralympians and 2,400 coaches and logisticians in France. Stephen is most proud of the fact that the vast majority of the designs were made in France.
In addition, the opening ceremony dress of the French Olympic and Paralympic delegations, also designed for the famous French fashion brand Berluti, also under LVMH, was officially announced on April 17. The dress is decorated in navy blue, with a gradient red and blue pattern on the lapels of the jacket, inspired by the French flag and the brand's signature gradient leather shoes. The brand has also created a sleeveless version of the dress especially for female athletes, and offers them a choice of pants or elegant silk skirts.
Edit — LZ
撰文— Amber
Figure — Network