Notre Dame is going to be rebuilt to look the same as it did before the fire. Is this a missed opportunity to re-imagine the cathedral using modern building materials and construction practices?
On April 15, 2019, people from around the globe watched in horror as one of the world’s most renowned historic structures became engulfed in flames. At the time, the Notre Dame Cathedral was undergoing a restoration project, at the center of which were the building’s spire, stonework and roof timbers. The fire started in the cathedral’s wooden attic and was only discovered after the blaze was well underway. 400 firefighters battled with the flames for two hours — the fire was fought from the interior in order to reduce damage to the structure. By the time the fire was under control, the spire and the majority of the cathedral’s roof had collapsed, destroying the vaulted ceiling in the process. Luckily, there were no casualties, and most of the relics and the art within the cathedral were undamaged.
History
Nearly 900 years old, The Notre Dame Cathedral is the most famous of the Middle Ages’ French Gothic cathedrals. The structure is known for its stained-glass windows (particularly the three rose windows), flying buttresses, gargoyles, its towers and the spire, and its French Gothic architecture. The cathedral’s sculptures and glass work is characterized by naturalism, marking a departure from previous Romanesque style sculptures and architecture. Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris, was responsible for initiating the construction of the cathedral, which began in 1163 AD and was officially completed in 1345 after several different builders led the incorporation of Gothic elements within the structure. The three (known) primary architects were Jean de Chelles, Pierre de Montreuil and Jean Ravy, respectively. Throughout the years, the cathedral was subject to deterioration from natural elements and only narrowly escaped total destruction during the French Revolution. After the release of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” the cathedral rose to prominence in popular culture with the resurgence of Gothic romanticism and history intrigue. In 1844, architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began leading an ambitious restoration of the cathedral, adding a spire, sculptures of the Twelve Apostles and the famous gargoyles. Currently, the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most well-known symbols of France.
Restoration vs. Renovation
Restoration definition: “a bringing back to a former position or condition.” In look, construction methods and material, restoration attempts to restore a structure to its original state.
Renovation definition: “the process of improving a broken, damaged, or outdated structure.” Renovation aims to make structures new. It is a process in which materials, construction methods, original form and historical importance are not considered relevant or critical to the new construction.
Restoration Controversy
Within hours of the tragic, 2019 fire, donations for restoration came pouring in from wealthy benefactors, patrons of art and private corporations worldwide. Total donations neared $1 billion. Money wasn’t an issue, but the question of what to do with the funds soon became a major point of contention. Initially, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the highly controversial idea of hosting an international architectural competition to redesign the collapsed spire — the idea was discarded after the French Senate passed a bill requiring the spire be rebuilt as it was, at the recommendation of the National Heritage and Architecture Commission following a global outcry.
Six months after the issues surrounding the rebuilding of the spire, new plans came to light that reignited the flames of restoration controversy. The focal point of this debate surrounded the interior of the cathedral. Proposals included “the possibility to replace architect Viollet-le-Duc’s historic glass-stained windows in the chapels around the nave (which survived the fire) by contemporary and more colorful ones,” replacing the original wooden chairs with benches, as well as installing projectors at the bottom of the cathedral’s pillars. Vocal critics argued that to move forward with the proposals would be detrimental to the historical significance of the structure, while those in favor of the proposed additions claimed that to simply restore and conserve the cathedral would mean missing an opportunity to reimagine the structure using modern materials and methods.
Current Progress
French restoration experts are currently on the hunt for oak trees to reconstruct the cathedral’ spire with the same wood used in 1859 (the year the spire was added) — they will need to find 1,000 trees between 150-200 years old. While the restoration will preserve the original design and integrity of the building, there are some modern methods being used to aid the project.
“Robot-sentries outfitted with cameras now patrol the burnt-out shell of the structure, sending endless streams of images to update its virtual double. The simulated cathedral will reflect changes made in real time as the reconstruction progresses, says Livio De Luca, research director at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research… As they strap on VR headsets, engineers and experts on medieval architecture can glide through the Matrix-like simulation as they remake the cathedral. The imagery is incredibly precise: clicking on any detail will turn up architectural drawings, post-fire scientific reports, and the provenance of specific building components. ” (Platt, Financial Times)
The AI and virtual reality technologies have significantly increased the speed of the project’s progress, although COVID-19 led to construction delays in the spring of 2020. France’s president claims the restoration work will be completed by 2024, the year Paris plans to host the Summer Olympics. However, the actual restoration work will not begin until 2022, and restoration experts estimate that a restoration of this magnitude would typically take 10-15 years. The work thus far has centered on stabilizing the structure. As of now, the plan is to restore the building to its last-known visual state.
References
Bjorneberg, B. (n.d.). Renovation, restoration, preservation, conservation. Conservation and Design. Retrieved from https://www.conservation-design.com/renovation-restoration-preservation-conservation
Cascone, S. (2020, October 2). The organization in charge of rebuilding Notre Dame must be more transparent about its use of donations, a French Court says. Artnet News. Retrieved from https://news.artnet.com/art-world/french-court-auditors-rules-notre-dame-donations-1912604
Dashore, A. (n.d.). 5 exceptional features of Notre Dame de Paris. The Constructor. Retrieved from https://theconstructor.org/building/buildings/exceptional-features-notre-dame-de-paris/32225/
Fox, A. (2020, November 25). Major step completed in Notre Dame Cathedral's restoration over a year after devastating fire. Travel and Leisure. Retrieved from https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/restorers-remove-dangerous-notre-dame-cathedral-scaffolding
Fuentes, J.L.C. (2019, April 19). An 800-year history of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/world-history-magazine/article/notre-dame-de paris#:~:text=In%20the%201240s%20the%20Master,his%20successor%2C%20Pierre%20de%20Montreuil.
Guy, J. (2019, November 14). Notre Dame chief architect told to 'shut his mouth' on reconstruction. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/style/article/notre-dame-reconstruction-row-scli-intl/index.html
Mohamed, E. (2021, February 18). Notre-Dame cathedral fire: Oak trees for rebuild must be centuries old. CGTN. https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2021-02-18/Hunt-on-for-centuries-old-oaks-to-rebuild-Notre-Dame-cathedral-XXyKMjngFq/index.html
Notre-Dame de Paris. (n.d.). In Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Notre-Dame-de-ParisPlatt, K.H. (2021, February 15). Notre-Dame rescue is buttressed by digital wizardry. Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/3ed013f9-4f01-4a34-a05d-e117b9797ce6
Tadié, S. (2020, December 29). New controversy erupts over plans for the rebuilding of Notre Dame. National Catholic Register. Retrieved from https://www.ncregister.com/news/new-controversy-erupts-over-plans-for-the-rebuilding-of-notre-dame
Waldek, S. (2020, April 15). Where Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral stands one year after the fire. Architectural Digest. Retrieved from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/where-paris-notre-dame-cathedral-stands-one-year-after-fire