Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés was the architectural studio commissioned for the construction project of new Olympic villages for the athletes participating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. For the project, the architects developed exhaustive research on innovative typologies based on the notion of metropolitan domesticity, uses, quality of life, whether for apartments or common areas.

This project is distinguished from the historical Olympic villages, thanks to the fact that in the project development process the heritage terms were taken into account so that this new district adapts "in the long term" as a real place for family life in the dynamic of the city, without losing the main function of providing shelter to the participating athletes.
The new Olympic villages, designed by the architecture studio Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés, are an intervention that consists of the construction of three buildings located on plots one, five and eight. The one located on plot one offers a unique silhouette that resembles the bow of a moored ship that with its wide white corridors dominates the extension of the riverside landscape.

Plots 5 and 8 propose a sober, rigorous architecture, without artifice, which does not seek to be ostentatious or demonstrative, but simply with a work of ornamental elements it is possible to question with elegance and subtlety the project of certain architectural elements.

The three buildings have in common an alternation of terracotta tiles, sometimes glazed, sometimes matte, which creates large patterns on the scale of the façade, reminiscent of the brick ornaments found in the Meunier chocolate factory or in the Jules Ferry schools.


An athletes’ village for a successful city by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés. Photograph by Stefan Tuchila.
 

Project description by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés

How to highlight the prestige of France and the values associated with it, to celebrate the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, when the French capital has already distinguished itself brilliantly in 2021 as a driving force in the fight against climate? Change during climate agreements resulting from COP 2021?

Each Olympics witnesses the passage of time and periodically reveals a snapshot of the state of the world in which we live. This notion of cohabitation resonates particularly in our times, where the urgency for change is compelling. Our contribution to the dynamics of welcome to this great universal celebration is for the Brenac-Gonzalez & Associés agency the opportunity to show the know-how made in France, as demonstrators of the consideration of a new paradigm.

We have made available our experience as a construction company in the field of housing and new construction techniques, through innovative typological research based on the notion of metropolitan domesticity, uses, quality of life, whether for apartments or common areas.


An athletes’ village for a successful city by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés. Photograph by Stefan Tuchila.

Unlike the historic Olympic villages, we have thought in heritage terms so that this new district adapts "in the long term" as a real place for family life in the dynamics of Greater Paris, while offering hospitality to athletes. Work is underway on the design of the cells, allowing perfect reversibility towards a residential offer quickly and at a lower cost.

Our intervention concerns 3 strategic buildings, plot 1 located on the corner of the Quai de Seine and rue Agnès Varda, plot 5 located along the Finot shopping center and plot 8 located along rue Agnès Varda .

The strategic importance of plot 1, which actually results from the linear assembly of two plots, offers a singular silhouette that suggests the bow of a moored ship that with its wide white corridors dominates the extension of the riverside landscape. This exceptional view is also offered to passers-by, visitors, by the presence of a large viewing terrace on the pier.


An athletes’ village for a successful city by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés. Photograph by Stefan Tuchila.

Plots 5 and 8 maintain a courtesy relationship within the Quinconce that governs the structure of the block, being located on both sides of the central forest that crosses the site along its entire length. This garden made up of species with an elongated silhouette and light foliage allows residents to walk or sit in the shade of the trees sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the city for a moment of relaxation.

We propose here a sober, rigorous architecture, without artifice, that does not seek to be ostentatious or demonstrative, preferring by far the idea of a generous thought inscribed around a story, offering each person different levels of reading according to their subjectivity and the point. of view it occupies.

A narrative inspiration in dialogue with the adjacent cinematic city that relies on ornamental works to elegantly and subtly question the design of certain architectural elements, bodyguards, windows, concealments, etc.


An athletes’ village for a successful city by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés. Photograph by Stefan Tuchila.

The alternation of terracotta tiles, sometimes glazed, sometimes matte, creates large patterns on the scale of the facade. This arrangement also recalls the motifs of tartans, or the brick decorations found in the Meunier chocolate factory or in the Jules Ferry schools; Its reading reveals itself furtively and fragmented depending on the time of day or the light.

Several technical opinions have been developed to meet our environmental requirements related to the mixed wood-concrete construction method and the implementation of terracotta cladding on facades with wooden frames prefabricated in the workshop.

This project combines quality of life and quality of city, and offers an architectural illustration of what a manifest architecture of the 21st century can be, designed by uses based on man and the environment.

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Architects
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Client
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ICADE.

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Area
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Building 1.- 6,090 sqm.
Building 2.- 1,890 sqm.
Building 3.- 2,800 sqm.

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Location
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Building 1.- Rue Agnès Varda, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France.
Building 2.- Mail Finot, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France.
Building 3.- Rue Agnès Varda, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France.

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Budget
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Building 1.- €13.3M.
Building 2.- €5M.
Building 3.- €6.5M

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Manufacturers
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Building 1.- Structure; concrete facade + wooden structure, Facades; Glossy white glazed terracotta tiles + coating.
Building 2.- Structure; Wood, Facade; Raw/colorless glazed terracotta tiles + coating.
Building 3.- Structure; concrete facade + wooden structure, Facade, Glossy white / matte white glazed terracotta tiles + cladding.

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Photography
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Sergio Grazia, Stefan Tuchila.

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Brenac & González & Associés is an architecture firm founded in the 1980s by Olivier Brenac and Xavier González. Olivier is a graduate of the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture, he also has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Les Ponts et Chaussées. Xavier is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture, Paris-Belleville and was a fellow extra-muros at the Villa Médicis which enabled him to join Tadao Ando’s agency. He is also a member of the Académie d’Architecture.

Brenac & González & Associés has now welcomed three new partners: Jean-Pierre Lévêque, Emmanuel Person and Guillaume Maréchaux. Our team is interdisciplinary and includes some forty collaborators from various cultures and nationalities. The agency deals with all types of programs: housing, cultural, educational or health-related facilities, offices and projects are equally divided between public competitions and private commissions.
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Published on: March 22, 2024
Cite: "An innovative residential trio for the Olympic village by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/innovative-residential-trio-olympic-village-brenac-gonzalez-associes> ISSN 1139-6415
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