BREAK NEW GROUND

In the construction run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the question of soils was a priority. With ambitious circular economic goals and the large construction program required for the global event, a public authority, Solideo, was created to manage delivery of the permanent sites. Solideo outlined extensive environmental objectives that included the creation of engineered soils, or technosols, mixed entirely from recycled components, supporting circular economy objectives and reducing the material’s carbon footprint. The engineered soils also avoid the use of extracted raw materials or valuable existing topsoil from agricultural areas, preserving important ecological resources. Many French designersthat worked on the Athletes’ Village, including Wagon Landscaping and Atelier Georges, have been committed to incorporating recycled debris into engineered soil specifications on all their projects, but supply chain issues have been…