Can Anybody Replace Notre Dame S Spire These 8 Designers Have Ideas

In the weeks since the Notre Dame Cathedral’s iconic spire collapsed during a massive fire, people in France and beyond have mourned the damage to the beloved landmark — and around $1 billion has been pledged for repairs.Last month, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced a competition to redesign the unsalvageable roof and spire. Big names like British architecture firm Foster + Partners have expressed interest in entering the competition, but eight international designers have already proposed some fantastic (and outrageous) designs. Rather than replicate architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s timber flèche that was lost to the blaze, most architects seem to favor reimagining the spire. After all, it’s what Viollet-le-Duc himself did when restoring the Notre Dame Cathedral in the 19th century, as Dezeen pointed out.Vizum Atelier, for example, proposed adding a tower with a beam that will shine a light up into the sky, explaining that in the Gothic era, builders tried to reach the sky and that Viollet-le-Duc got closer. “Now, it’s possible to make it happen,” they said on Instagram.

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It’s a tragedy. Nothing would ever return over 850 years of beauty, but its time to reborn Notre-dame. In gothic times builders try to reach the sky, Le Duc tryed it also in 19century and have came closer. Now its possible to make it happen. Lightweight crown that connect heaven with earth. #notredame #notredameparis #architecture #archdaily #design #paris #notredamevision #architecturedaily #architecturestudent #architectureporn #architecture_hunter #dezeen #renovation #vision #dwell #architecturalrecord #evolo #archis #domus #azure #metropolis #designboom #architecturaldigest #architecturelab #landscape A post shared by Vizum Atelier (@vizumatelier) on Apr 22, 2019 at 7:22am PDT

Two proposals seek not to cover the cathedral, but to install a roof of glass. Russian architect Alex Nerovnya wants to add a glass ceiling to replace the one that collapsed in the fire. “Notre Dame will never be the same, no matter how well it’s repaired. So why don’t we use all our knowledge and architectural achievement to make it better?” Nerovnya wrote in an Instagram post. “When people come to see the Cathedral, they will feel a powerful connection to the history seeing the ancient and the modern parts together.”

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A post shared by Alexander Nerovnya (@alex_nerovnya) on Apr 18, 2019 at 6:47am PDT

São Paulo-based architect Alexandre Fantozzi recommended installing a stained glass roof and spire. “In Gothic, there is the connection of the earth to the sky, and inside the Cathedral, the natural illumination multiplies in colors through the filter of the cover in stained glass,” he wrote on Instagram. His vision would certainly create a colorful effect on the cathedral’s interior.

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A post shared by Alexandre Fantozzi (@alexandre_fantozzi) on Apr 22, 2019 at 8:29pm PDT

Paris-based Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas would consider adding a spire made of Baccarat crystal. “The first idea that comes to mind, for example, is a sort of very tall pinnacle made like a Baccarat crystal, which is French, that could be illuminated at night and filled with light,” Massimiliano Fuksas told the Italian edition of the Huffington Post.

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A post shared by Massimiliano e Doriana Fuksas (@fuksas_architects) on Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57am PDT

Another Paris-based firm, Studio NAB, went so far as to propose a glass greenhouse roof that would actually house an apiary for the honeybees that lived in the roof and survived the inferno. According to Lonely Planet, their design also includes planters made from burnt oak salvaged from the attic.Notre Dame Spire concept. (Photo courtesy of Studio NAB)French architect David Deroo was inspired by the cathedral’s original design to create a modernized version of the roof and spire with sleek lines and curves. “A middle ground should be reached between acknowledging the past and bringing the innovation of our time,” Deroo told Dezeen.

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A post shared by DerooDavid (@deroodavid) on Apr 25, 2019 at 4:03am PDT

A few of the proposals have been decidedly more outlandish. Cyprus-based architecture collective Kiss the Architect created a rendering showing a futuristic spire with metal arches, circles and spheres wrapped around a central staircase.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.

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A post shared by kiss the architect (@kissthearchitect) on Apr 23, 2019 at 11:29am PDT

But the most controversial proposal came from French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who suggested recreating the spire as it was the day it burned. Lehanneur, who has been known to experiment with transforming solid materials into a seemingly “liquid” state published a rendering that imagines the cathedral topped by a massive golden flame.

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A post shared by Mathieu Lehanneur (@mathieulehanneur) on Apr 23, 2019 at 9:25am PDT

Of course, there are those who favor an accurate and truthful replica — not a contemporary beacon or surreal sculpture. And they are not minority. A recent survey revealed that 54% of French people prefer the spire and roof be rebuilt exactly to Viollet-le-Duc’s vision, France 24 reported. Only 25% support plans for an “architectural gesture” or modern creation.

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A post shared by Vizum Atelier (@vizumatelier) on Apr 22, 2019 at 7:22am PDT

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A post shared by Alexander Nerovnya (@alex_nerovnya) on Apr 18, 2019 at 6:47am PDT

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A post shared by Alexandre Fantozzi (@alexandre_fantozzi) on Apr 22, 2019 at 8:29pm PDT

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A post shared by Massimiliano e Doriana Fuksas (@fuksas_architects) on Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57am PDT

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A post shared by DerooDavid (@deroodavid) on Apr 25, 2019 at 4:03am PDT

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A post shared by kiss the architect (@kissthearchitect) on Apr 23, 2019 at 11:29am PDT

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A post shared by Mathieu Lehanneur (@mathieulehanneur) on Apr 23, 2019 at 9:25am PDT