Reuse and refurbishment will be part of the buzz surrounding this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, and Chatillon Architectes' new renovation of the Grand Nef de l'Île-des-Vannes sports complex is getting top billing as one of the key projects contributing to a ‘green’ games.

The facility had been vacant since 2018. Chatillon sought to upgrade its energy efficiency and accessibility ratings while preserving its aesthetic and spatial qualities, which have existed since it was constructed in 1971. Today, it has an interior space of 32,300 square feet supported by a superstructure comprising two inclined concrete arches of 82 feet each.

Work included the installation of acoustic wood panels, the addition of new seating and a state-of-the-art multisport floor for athletes, LED conversion of lighting fixtures, and new HVAC systems.

The Grand Nef is now compliant with the latest code requirements and boasts a seating capacity of 1,500 persons and another 4,500 standing guests. Adding double-skin insulated cladding to the original polycarbonate facade completes the list of interventions, complementing the innovations of its original designers, Anatole Kopp, Lucien Metrich, and Pierre Chazanoff.

The reopened Gran Nef will serve as a training venue for Olympians before being turned back over to the Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine commune for community programming once the games end. Chatillon's team was also the author of the refurbishment of the Grand Palais as it turned from a former exhibition hall into the new host of the Olympics' Fencing and Taekwondo competitions. (That makeover, which was valued at $500 million USD, won't be fully completed until 2025.)

Partner Simon Chatillon declares: "To work on this project as well as the Grand Palais, both for the Olympics, is a great demonstration of the interests and processes that drive our work as a practice. On the surface, both projects feel very different, but our approach remains consistent, taking the best of the past and adapting it to not only be preserved but to be enhanced for future users and news uses."