The $L^2$-completion of the space of Riemannian metrics is CAT$(0)$: a shorter proof

Abstract

We reprove in an easier way a result of Brian Clarke: the completion of the space of Riemannian metrics of a compact, orientable smooth manifold with respect to the $L^2$-distance is CAT$(0)$. In particular we show that this completion is isometric to the space of $L^2$-maps from a standard probability space to a fixed CAT$(0)$ space.