Myrtha Pools designed and supplied OAC with three permanent pools
At the Olympic Aquatic Centre (OAC), the core is the 70-m competition pool that will be the arena of the biggest sporting event of 2024 for artistic swimmers, water polo players and divers. This unique pool is the largest in France, and a first in Europe.
The pool includes underwater cameras systems fully integrated with the modular Myrtha sidewall panel technology, which will make it easier to update the systems developed for streaming and video replay. The bottom of the pool is not flat, but instead terraced at different levels. Rather than offering a single depth of 5.0 m (which corresponds to diving), the depths have been adapted according to each aquatic activity in order to conserve water and heating, and to reduce maintenance and generally optimize operation.
From the beginning of the design process, Myrtha offered its decades of experience in proposing solutions through its Concept Team, BIM team and Technical team (BOM). Innocenzo Pochini, Myrtha Technical and Sustainability Manager confirmed: “Part of the design was realized in coordination with full BIM from the concept, allowing us to optimize solutions regarding sustainability, energy, and water consumption. Our expertise allowed to have, in just one pool, the same number of configurations and options as if we’d built nine pools.”
A movable Myrtha split bulkhead divides the diving area which boasts an air safety cushion, a system which reduces the risk of injury as divers enter the water. A second split movable bulkhead allows this pool to be used at the same time at both 50m and 25m distance for competitive swimming, or for water polo games. Thanks to the special movable bulkheads and a movable floor installed on five lanes, the OAC's main pool can be configured in multiple ways, even for aquafitness or aquabike courses requiring shallow depths. The other two pools are a learn to swim pool and a leisure pool featuring water jets, whirlpool seats and a lazy river.
Post-event use for citizens
After the summer competitions, the OAC will open to the citizens of Saint-Denis, a neighbourhood with a high percentage of residents who need to learn to swim. The OAC will become the largest training centre for diving in France (it will host the European Swimming Championships in 2026), and the enormous positive social impacts of Learn-to-Swim classes are already being realized. Pochini stated: "As a manufacturing company, our choices were also guided by lifecycle aspects. The challenge was to achieve the maximum result for both international competition and post-event use for citizens. This was made possible by the engineering expertise and effort across all phases, and secondly, by our unique modular stainless steel technology.”
Photo: Myrtha Pools 3D Concept
