Recently, when you are watching the Olympic Games, have you noticed many large timber buildings on the site? According to foreign timber industry media reports, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee has sought to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the Olympic Games by using wood as a building material on a large scale.
In order to reduce the carbon footprint of the Games to half the average of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics (i.e. about 1.75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), the Paris Organising Committee has reportedly adopted a number of strategies to avoid, reduce and control carbon emissions. Among them, the widespread use of wood as a building material has become a compelling initiative to reduce the generation of construction waste after the Olympics and mitigate the long-term impact on the environment.
Of particular note is the design and implementation of the Paris Aquatics Centre. The project was designed by the architectural firm VenhoevenCS in collaboration with Ateliers 2/3/4/, and is characterised by the design of a permanent all-timber pavilion. This innovation not only gives the water sports center a unique visual identity, but also demonstrates the concept of harmonious coexistence between architecture and nature through the clever use of wood as a natural material.
According to the introduction, the roof design of the aquatic center is particularly ingenious, with a thin, dynamic wavy structure that not only provides an unobstructed view of the games, but also cleverly incorporates solar technology. The roof, which is fully covered with solar panels, makes the facility a shining jewel in the field of solar power generation in France's cities, demonstrating the great potential of sustainable design principles in practical applications.
It is worth mentioning that these beautiful timber structural components are not made locally in Paris, but are carefully designed and prefabricated hundreds of kilometers away from the city, and then transported to the site for assembly. This efficient production and installation method not only improves construction efficiency, but also effectively reduces the environmental interference of on-site construction.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the extensive use of wood as a building material, not only demonstrated its strong commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, but also provided a low-carbon construction example for large-scale events around the world.