PARIS – The athletes’ village for the Paris Olympics, which was inaugurated on Feb 29, contains a host of innovations intended to make it a model of low-carbon construction.

Faced with concerns about the vast emissions caused by the Games – from the construction work, the air miles and catering – Paris 2024 organisers set out to make the village as environmentally friendly as possible.

With its roughly 40 different blocks, it was intended to be a “coherent model of the best things we can do at the start of the 21st century, even a bit ahead of time”, said the head of the Paris Olympics infrastructure group, Nicolas Ferrand.

The 2,800 housing units will generate around half of the carbon emissions of equivalents that are built with regular construction techniques when energy savings over their lifetimes are taken into account, said the Paris Games infrastructure body Solideo.

After they have been used by Olympians and Paralympians from July 26 to Sept 8, the apartments will be converted into homes, with at least a third destined for public housing.

Here are some of their features.

Naturally cool

Organisers are proud of offering an Olympic village that they say does not require air-conditioning to keep residents cool, with temperatures inside set to be at least 6 deg C lower than outside in summer.

As well as high-performance insulation and sun shades, the secret is reversible underfloor plumbing linked to a local geothermal power plant. It draws cool water from beneath the surface during the summer and heat from far underground in the winter.

The renewable system helps dramatically reduce operational costs and the carbon footprint of the buildings.

Concrete improvements

Real estate companies had to agree to build the flats while generating 30 per cent less emissions per square metre than a traditional building under the terms of their contracts, according to Georgina Grenon, head of sustainability for the Paris Games.

“That brought up new construction techniques,” she said.

In many cases, the builders swopped carbon-intensive concrete for wood, resulting in many of the structures using the natural material for their core support, as well as facades and floors.

Low-carbon concrete – which uses less energy-intensive materials and processes to make the bonding agent – was widely used across the site.

“We chose materials not for their technical, economic or architectural qualities, but for their carbon footprint,” said Julie Bosch, project director for real estate group Vinci Immobilier, which built part of the village.

Real greenery

The village has large gardens that will account for 40 per cent of total land space and include 9,000 trees and shrubs once the area has been fully developed after the Olympics.

“It’s a very high ratio, and with our system of recycling water, it will enable areas for relaxation and cooling off,” said Charles Richard-Molard, deputy director in charge of public spaces at Solideo.

Water works

The site includes its own mini water treatment centre which will collect and purify waste water which can then be used on the gardens.

One experimental building will use purified rainwater for its toilets, which are designed to separate out urine and faeces which can then be converted into fertilisers.

Circular economy

Of the roughly 300,000 household items destined for the Olympic village, all are set for a second life afterwards.

“We signed with suppliers only if they were able to show that they would be able to recycle or re-use,” said Julia Watson, deputy director for the village works at Solideo.

The bed bases will be made of reinforced cardboard and the mattresses are being manufactured from recycled fishing nets – the same system as at the Tokyo Olympics.

Much of the wooden street furniture is from reclaimed wood, while some of the street lighting has been made from recycled steel piping. AFP