French studio Chatillon Architectes has renovated the Grande Nef of the ÃŽle-des-Vannes sports complex in Paris, preserving its parabolic roof and updating its polycarbonate facades.
Vacant since 2018 due to poor accessibility and energy efficiency, the sports complex has now reopened as a training facility for athletes participating in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
It was also open to Olympians earlier this month and will shortly be handed back over to locals in the Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine neighbourhood to use as a sports complex.
Chatillon Architectes has renovated Grande Nef of the ÃŽle-des-Vannes
Chatillon Architectes' goal for the overhaul was to preserve and celebrate the original architecture of Grande Nef of the ÃŽle-des-Vannes while meeting modern energy standards. The building, which opened in 1971, was designed by architects Anatole Kopp, Lucien Metrich and Pierre Chazanoff to resemble an overturned boat, nodding to its riverside site.
With a capacity of over 5,000, it has been host to sporting events including the 1981 men's World B Handball Championship finals, as well as concerts by artists including Pink Floyd and Queen and political rallies such as congresses of the French Communist Party.
The studio has updated its polycarbonate facade
"One of the goals in restoration is that the same people who come at the end say, 'Oh, it's the same!' and also 'Oh, you have changed everything!'," said the studio's founder François Chatillon.
"You have to be very...