A pool of possibilities: Saint Denis's sustainable and social aquatic centre
At a glance
Only one in two 11-year-olds living in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, know how to swim. Swimming is an essential life skill. And when you live near a large body of water, like the Seine River or the ocean, swimming can be a critical life-saving skill.
Excepting the planned Olympic and Paralympic events, swimming is restricted in the Seine River until 2025, after which it is hoped that extensive rehabilitation efforts will make the river suitable for recreational water activities. Until then, residents will turn to swimming pools to learn how to swim.
But for the 113,000 residents of Saint-Denis, there are only seven pools to cater to their needs. The Saint-Denis Aquatics Centre will soon change that.
A catalyst for social inclusion and urban regeneration
As one of only two newly constructed venues for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Saint-Denis Aquatics Centre is a powerful showcase of Paris’s commitment to sustainability and social inclusion, and an opportunity to create a positive impact for future generations.
The Aquatics Centre is located next to the Stade de France, the main stadium for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Summer Games. The Centre will not only host the artistic swimming, diving and water polo events during the Games, but also serves as a catalyst for urban regeneration, community development and environmental innovation in the post-Games period.
It will also be the venue of France’s Learn to Swim program, addressing the critical need for swimming proficiency amongst French youth. The legacy of increased swimming skills and the introduction of a large-scale sports community centre cannot be under-estimated in terms of the role of new social and sports infrastructure for the Saint Denis community. Beyond swimming, the state-of-the-art aquatics facility promises to elevate the quality of life for Saint-Denis’s residents, which historically has been an impoverished area of Paris.
After its use as the Olympics venue for artistic swimming, diving and water polo, the facility will be transformed into a dynamic neighbourhood sports centre. It will have 50m and 25m swimming pools, a paddle tennis area, courts for team sports, a climbing area and a general fitness area. Its versatility and modular configuration will be key. It can switch from a 5,000-seat venue during the Olympics, to a 2,500-seat venue, making it more sustainable in the long term.
GHD recently launched a research project called CROSSROADS, which intentionally maps the sentiments and desires of over 10,000 people from 10 countries across generations to better understand the choices they make towards a more sustainable future.
The optimism of younger generations is a key theme of the report, and it showed that transforming existing buildings into new community facilities and housing was a key priority for most respondents across all geographies surveyed, particularly in Australia, the United States and Canada.
With a propensity to make lifestyle choices towards the betterment of the planet and a sense of responsibility that what we make now must be sustainable, this emerging generation provides a fitting backdrop to the decisions made in Paris.
Building sustainably for a lasting legacy
On top of anticipated social benefits, the Aquatics Centre also demonstrates excellence in environmental performance and resilience. The new venue limited traditional structural materials – such as steel, the production of which is highly polluting – in favor of more eco-friendly spruce and Douglas fir, from Finland and France (researchers have found that wood stores carbon even after it’s been harvested). Interestingly, the beams can be repurposed if the building is ever razed.
The building has a distinctive curved wooden roof that will integrate multiple functions, such as light filtration, rainwater collection, and solar energy capture. The roof is designed to reduce the energy demand and operating costs of the facility by 30 per cent, helping maintain optimal temperature and humidity levels inside the pools throughout the year.
The Aquatics Centre also uses recycled and locally sourced materials, such as the 3,000 seats made from 30 tonnes of plastic waste collected from the region. The building will aim to achieve a 90 per cent level of energy self-sufficiency, as well as a low-carbon footprint and a positive water balance.
It stands as a true showcase for circular economy and green building principles, aligned with the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
From the Olympics, with love
Post-Games, the Aquatics Centre aims to become a hub for the local community, offering a variety of programs and activities for all ages and abilities, especially for young people who lack access to quality sports infrastructure and opportunities.
Being built in a disadvantaged community with many social challenges, and more than a quarter of the residents reported to live below the poverty line in 2017, the construction of a major Olympics venue in the area is expected to encourage further investments in the community, leading to job creation and better living conditions.
Nevertheless, the Aquatics Centre is a significant stride towards making the greater Saint-Denis community not just more liveable, but loveable. We believe that the true measure of success extends beyond mere liveability. Communities must also be loveable – thriving places where residents can continually fall in love with their community.
It is also about place attraction and stickiness for visitors and tourists alike, which is a key part of many mega-event strategies. Loveable is the core of our urban planning approach, which emphasises ‘place identity’ and ‘people experience’ to foster a socially sustainable environment.
Long after the excitement of the Paris Games, Saint-Denis, with its new Aquatic Centre, will be a place for community connection, one that residents can be proud of.