France: SPIE designs and implements the network infrastructure for the new CO’Met event complex within the Orléans Métropole

Malakoff, 17 October 2023 – SPIE ICS, a French digital services company and SPIE Building Solutions, which specialises in expertise dedicated to building intelligence and performance, both of which are subsidiaries of SPIE France, provided support to Orléans Métropole for the design and implementation of a smart network infrastructure for the new CO’Met event complex. The challenge for the teams and the operator is to enable the simultaneous connection of visitors while also offering them new uses linked to the different event formats planned for this venue, which is the only one of its kind in France.

The CO’Met event complex within the Orléans Métropole comprises three buildings: a 10,000-capacity sports hall, a congress centre and an exhibition centre. The Zénith d’Orléans completes the set. Inaugurated on 7 January 2023 during the final stages of the French national handball tournament, the venue will be used for future international sporting events hosted by Orléans Métropole.

SPIE ICS and SPIE Building Solutions, both subsidiaries of SPIE group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, pooled their expertise to meet the needs of Orléans Métropole while the building was still under construction. 

The solution developed includes the implementation and installation of a complete infrastructure, incorporating Local Area Networking (LAN), WiFi, the Data Center, network administration and cybersecurity. The decision to implement a single solution, based on Cisco technologies, ensures the perfect compatibility of these various building blocks. This infrastructure provides seamless connectivity for organisers, operators and visitors. It stands up to the significant connection challenges posed by ticketing, checkouts, technical building management and public WiFi (10,000 simultaneous connections).

The SPIE Building Solutions teams were responsible for installing the equipment and additional wiring within this complex environment, which saw work being carried out at heights of between 12 and 23 metres. They also showcased their expertise in design and concealed installation (WiFi terminals, for example) to ensure that their work remained in keeping with the character of the sites and their purposes, while also facilitating future maintenance.

The work carried out by SPIE ICS and SPIE Building Solutions commenced in April 2022 and was completed in early 2023. The teams' involvement then continued with the connection of the neighbouring Zénith d’Orléans, an integral part of the complex, to the CO’Met.

Throughout this project, SPIE's teams demonstrated a great deal of agility in terms of project management, enabling it to adapt to a situation of extended lead times for the delivery of electronic components. Temporary technical workarounds were put in place to ensure that the professional and sporting events scheduled for 2023 could still go ahead.

"This unusual project demanded innovative assembly engineering techniques, which were developed in collaboration with our customer's teams to allow us to offer services worthy of an 'event complex 3.0'. Our greatest challenge was working out how to successfully provide 10,000 people with a secure and hazard-resistant WiFi connection simultaneously," indicated Delphine Ferrier, Business Director for the Atlantic region at SPIE ICS. 

"The involvement of the SPIE Building Solutions teams, which took place while the site was occupied, demonstrates our adaptability and our responsiveness. Some elements of the solution were designed on site to adapt to the specific constraints posed by the event venue," explains Sébastien Yvan, Department Head at SPIE Building Solutions.