Scheduled to finish towards the end of December 2023, Le Village des Athlètes is a culmination of years of effort and collaboration that is only the beginning for residents of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.
In anticipation of the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games, Le Village des Athlètes was envisioned to provide an optimal welcome to the 14,500 participating athletes and their staff. Located in the north of Paris, in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, the project would not only meet the specific needs of the athletes during the Games but those of their local community in the long run as well, with a goal towards long-term sustainability.
The Paris-2024 Games rose to the challenge to be the “greenest” ever in its history. In line with this goal, the Le Village des Athlètes was designed with specific ambitions in mind in order to eventually become a city district in 2050 that would showcase environmental excellence. Some of these ambitions are the following: to contribute to protecting and developing biodiversity, to control the carbon budget and contribute to the climate plan’s objective of respecting the carbon neutrality trajectory of 2050, to have a universal accessibility strategy by becoming accessible to those with reduced mobility, and to have a crossing above the Seine to connect Île-Saint-Denis and Saint-Denis.
Upon visiting the site of Le Village des Athlètes, one of the first things that would catch one’s attention is the cladding of the buildings–terracotta plaquettes in pastel hues that one could almost taste. Under the sun, which would definitely be the case during next summer’s Games in Paris, the material easily reflects the natural light to welcome residents with its glimmer.
Behind the creation of these eye-catching plaquettes is Rairies Montrieux, recognized as one of France’s oldest terracotta producers for having been in production for five generations. Before production actually took place, the collaboration between the company and architect Anne Mie Depuydt of UAPS extended for over two years before finding the specific shapes and shades that were perfect for the buildings, with a research and development laboratory on site.
“It is a great recognition and pride for our company,” says Rémy Montrieux, CEO of Rairies Montrieux, adding, “To satisfy architect Anne Mie Depuydt’s request, we mobilized our research and development department with the help of our suppliers. This is the culmination of years of effort.”
Each building is covered in terracotta cladding that is tailor-made in color, shape, size, and finish. With a research and development laboratory on-site dedicated to the study of these buildings, Rairies Montrieux supplied 500,000 glazed tiles for the construction of the project, covering around 6,000 m² on seven buildings of the Athlete’s Village. Through this task, they were able to successfully meet both the demands of architects and the environmental excellence ambitions of Paris-2024.
It was revealed that the unique colors of the terracotta plaquettes were developed on the basis of a specific color chart, inspired by a 1970 painting by Canadian-American artist Philip Guston, entitled Evidence. Capturing the painter’s transition from abstract expressionism to a form of figuration, the painting depicts what appears to be bricks, shoes, boxes, and a pointing finger in shades of pink and red, as well as glimpses of pastel green and yellow. The colors of the buildings easily echo the painting’s essence, creating homogeneity and harmony while each one still retains its individuality.
While it is an established company clearly capable of large-scale production, Rairies Montrieux’s attention to detail is a testament to its years of dedication to craftsmanship. Scheduled to finish towards the end of December 2023, Le Village des Athlètes is a culmination of years of effort and collaboration that is only the beginning for residents of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.
