The Arena Porte de la Chapelle, a major project to create a new sports hub within a new district, ZAC Gare des Mines-Fillettes, has taken its first major step in its construction. This Tuesday, the Mayor of Paris and President of SOLIDEO, Anne Hidalgo, laid the first stone of this new infrastructure in the presence Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, Michel Cadot, Interdepartmental delegate for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024; Stephane Troussel, President of the Seine-Saint-Denis Departmental Council; and Nicolas Borit, Deputy Managing Director, Bouygues Construction France Europe.

This Arena will contribute to the development of high-performance sport as well as welcoming major sports events to the capital. From its opening in 2023, it will host national and international sports competitions. It has also been designed to meet the needs of the residents in terms of local sports facilities, with two gymnasiums and a dedicated place for entertainment, shops and restaurants.

This new development will also constitute a legacy for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. It will be used for badminton, rhythmic gymnastics, para badminton, and para- taekwondo competitions. This huge project will be delegated to the Société Anonyme d’Exploitation du Palais Omnisport of Paris-Bercy and is part of a global project on the scale of the 18th district and Saint-Denis.

The Arena has a strong environmental ambition, based on the use of renewable energy, integrating bio-based, geo-based and low carbon materials (such as compressed raw earth bricks from the excavation of the Grand Paris Express and recycled plastic seats for the main hall’s bleachers, made in partnership with one of the Social and Solidarity Economy companies). The Arena will offer 6,900m2 of greenery-covered roofing, more than 50 trees on the terrace and 1,800m2 of photovoltaics panels. The framework of the gymnasiums will be in wood. The construction site is exemplary, with the objective of recycling 95% of site waste and being an eco-responsible living base.

Finally, the Arena also has a strong social ambition, providing more than 110,000 hours of work on the construction site for people in need of employment, with 25% of the work destined for VSEs, SMEs, and SSE companies.

The City of Paris is offering the chance for all the locals to contribute to this new Arena with the organisation of the collection of 10 million plastic bottle tops in October at more than 10 collection points in the 18th district. In addition to the commitment to recycling, this collection will allow the inhabitants of the district to actively contribute to the creation of this emblematic site of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Calendar milestones:

From now to summer 2022: construction work

From summer 2022 to spring 2023:  framework and facade

From spring 2022 to summer 2023: technical and architectural work

Summer 2023: completion of the Arena with operational main hall, gymnasiums and accommodation programme for the district

July - September 2024: the Arena will host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics for the Olympic Games and para badminton and para- taekwondo for the Paralympic Games