Rising over an unloved stretch of highway north of Paris, across from the fames Stade de France, the Centre Aquatique Olympique was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron who hailed it as “exemplary.” But, what does this innovative use of glulam beams mean for ambitious plans to connect Saint-Denis (and the French kings) to a city in transition.

➜ VenhoevenCS and Ateliers 2/3/4 design Centre Aquatique Olympique in Saint-Denis, part of the banlieue’s “reurbanization” published by The Architect’s Newspaper, 2024

Photo: ©William Richards