-
Architects: Lina Ghotmeh Architecture
- Year: 2024
-
Photographs:Takuji Shimmura
-
Lead Architect: Lina Ghotmeh
Text description provided by the architects. Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture contributes to the Olympic hype with Architecture for housing for athletes inspired by the quality of their movement and their tools.
Rhythm, repetition, rigor, detail, and elegance shape, despite all constraints, the buildings designed by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture for the athletes' village. The architecture, tactile and graphic, is orchestrated and inspired by the movement of the athletes. The architecture of these facades tells the story of precision and integrates with the urban context. Javelins rise high, bringing movement along the balconies of these residences. Tubular wooden structures, inspired by the paddles of athletes' canoes, adorn the facades of the buildings, which are constructed of wood. All the envelopes of the buildings engage the senses and the material for a tactile experience and bodily engagement in the space. The architectural design thus becomes a trace and memory of this extraordinary moment of high-precision sporting events in Paris.
This project is located in Seine-Saint-Denis, within the village dedicated to athletes. It is part of a block composed of 12 buildings designed by different architects, with the urban plan orchestrated by architect Dominique Perrault. The urban project conceived for the Village offers great flexibility and allows for the reversibility of installations after the event. It constitutes a mixed-use territory in full transformation. The engaged urban strategy is above all a long-term reflection to create a new sustainable neighborhood, a piece of the city offered to all, anchored in its territory and geography.
Compact and enjoying a seven-hectare water body on the Seine, our project meets the requirements of functional and sustainable efficiency, transposing Parisian density while being inspired by the principles of Haussmannian architecture where buildings are adjoined to form the city.
Aimed at initially accommodating athletes, the buildings are also designed for the long term by being adaptable. The residences, once for athletes, transform into residential units after the games, thus giving life to this new neighborhood over time. This sustainable and ecological approach extends throughout the design of our project. The challenge is always to maintain sustainable commitments while working with very tight planning and economic constraints. This is especially true in a very particular political context: the project was conducted during the Covid pandemic during the studies and faced the challenges of construction in the wake of the War in Ukraine.
Sustainable approach and construction system: In a sustainable development ambition, some buildings in this project have been designed with wooden construction, featuring wooden frame facades. Exotic and boreal wood outside the EU are prohibited. Low-carbon and bio-based materials have been prioritized. When concrete was necessary, the project used low-carbon concrete employing CEM III cement, whose dosage and characteristics reduce the impact of CO2 emissions. For this project, Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture design scope excludes any interior design.
