Grand Palais
Alongside VINCI Construction, which was responsible for the structural work, VINCI Energies was involved in the restoration of this landmark building, which hosted the Olympic and Paralympic fencing and taekwondo events. Its business units handled all the technical works packages (high-and low-voltage electrical equipment, building automation system, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, smoke extraction and sprinkler fire protection), the illumination of the facades, and the architectural lighting of the nave and Palais d’Antin.
Improving mobile coverage
To cater to the crowds of spectators keen to share event highlights on their smartphones, Axians set up 60 temporary pylons around Games venues, boosting 3G, 4G and 5G mobile connectivity. With their small footprint and heights of 12 to 25 metres, the “All-in-One” towers developed by Axians can be erected in half a day.
In French Polynesia, VINCI Energies installed the telecoms infrastructure and underwater networks for the “judges’ tower” built in Teahupo’o for surfing competitions.
Telecoms capabilities were also enhanced at other sites, with permanent infrastructure including indoor mobile coverage for the Paris La Défense and Accor arenas, 4G/5G relay stations for five bridges, and radio coverage for the Line 14 extension to Orly airport south of Paris.
Lastly, teams installed information signs and CCTV cameras along the lane reserved for athletes and officials on the Boulevard Périphérique, the ring road around Paris.
Works, maintenance and facilities management
Several VINCI Facilities business units were responsible for the multi-technical maintenance of three venues in the VINCI Stadium network the Stade de France (one of the busiest throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games), and the stadiums in Nice (south-east France) and Bordeaux (south-west France) which hosted 13 men’s and women’s football matches between them, the Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte and the Arena Paris Sud at Porte de Versailles, as well as the Centre National des Sports de la Défense in Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne), which was designated, among other things, for preparing for the Games. They also provided the full range of facilities management services (catering excepted) for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, the event’s nerve centre, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris (35,000 sq. metres, 2,000 occupants).
VINCI Energies also built the plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, handed over in early 2024 to host the diving and artistic swimming events, and the plumbing and air conditioning systems for the Centre National de Tir Sportif de Châteauroux in central France. Other jobs involved lighting and low-voltage work for the Athletes’ Village on Île-Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) as well as the power supply for the handling system for athletes’ luggage. VINCI Energies helped to set up a mobile medical unit in Paris, and took part in several projects aimed at streamlining travel in and around Paris during the Games.
Architectural lighting
In addition to lighting up the Grand Palais, VINCI Energies installed architectural lighting at a number of Games landmarks, such as the grounds of the Château de Versailles, the Warsaw fountain in the Trocadero gardens in Paris, and the footbridge over the A1 motorway between the Media Village in Dugny with the climbing venue in Le Bourget (both in Seine-Saint-Denis).