Here’s How Paris Will Keep Athletes Cool Without Air Conditioning At Olympics

When the Paris Olympics takes place next year, thousands of athletes will find themselves competing to be the best in the world right in the midst of summer. How can the organizers keep these sportspeople cool and collected without the use of massive air conditioners?

It appears the team behind the upcoming Games is looking for an environmentally-friendly solution in the form of an underground water cooling system. The feature, which will be installed beneath the Athletes Village, will employ the same technology used to keep the Louvre cool.

According to Euro News, the organizers have begun surveilling the area, studying the effects of the summer heat block by block within the Village. In fact, they’ve gone as far as to simulate conditions within the accommodations to test how effective the cooling system really is.

By using underfloor cooling, the geothermal system aims to keep the indoor temperature between 23°C to 26°C (73.4°F to 78.8°F). Additional insulation will be built into the buildings as a complementary means to prevent the cool of the night from escaping throughout the day.

As per the Associated Press, the entire feat will require 55 miles of pipes to move the cold water underground. Thankfully, the Village is situated near the Seine River, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get enough water to power the cooling system.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo claims this eco-friendly cooling method will reduce the Games’ carbon impact by nearly 45%, saying that Paris wanted the forthcoming event to “be exemplary” in terms of its environmental footprint.

[via Gizmodo and Euro News, cover image via Valerio Rosati | Dreamstime.com]