{"id":36649,"date":"2019-06-01T19:19:32","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T02:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=36649"},"modified":"2019-06-01T19:19:32","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T02:19:32","slug":"saturday-smile-what-will-notre-dame-eventually-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2019\/06\/01\/saturday-smile-what-will-notre-dame-eventually-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturday Smile: What Will Notre Dame Eventually Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[I apologize for the late posting.\u00a0 And I’ll add a “Note to Self”<\/strong>: Never <\/em>EVER<\/strong> again take on a project that has NO ending.]<\/em><\/p>\n

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On April 15th<\/sup> the world collectively gasped as we viewed the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral inferno that lasted for 15 hours and destroyed its iconic spire and most of its wooden roof.\u00a0 Two days later France\u2019s Prime Minister \u00c9douard Philippe<\/strong><\/a> announced a competition to design a new roof and spire for the iconic structure.<\/p>\n

“This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility.\u00a0 The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even re-create the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc.\u00a0 Or if, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There has been no dearth of entries \u2013 and they\u2019re still coming in, which has made this project bigger than I had anticipated.\u00a0 Nevertheless, I thought it\u2019d be fun to view some of the designs submitted so far.\u00a0 In my opinion, they range from the ethereal to the ridiculous.<\/p>\n

But where to begin?\u00a0 I decided I\u2019d start with what I consider the outliers \u2013 ones that are \u2026 hmmm<\/em> \u2026 unique.\u00a0 But ones that I strongly doubt will ever (thankfully) come to fruition.<\/p>\n

[A]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

JETSON THEME<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A Cyprus-based firm called Kiss the Architect<\/a> created a what I would call a Jetson-Themed rendering of a futuristic spire with metal arches, circles and spheres wrapped around a central staircase.<\/p>\n

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[B]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

GOLDEN FLAME<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While not the most outlandish proposal (we\u2019ll get there), but apparently the most controversial one is from French designer Mathieu Lehanneur<\/a>, who wants to recreate the spire as it was the day it burned. \u00a0Lehanneur has a reputation for transforming solid materials into a seemingly \u201cliquid\u201d state \u2013 so he envisions the Cathedral Spire as a massive golden flame.<\/p>\n

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[C]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

QUASIMODO\u2019S PENTHOUSE<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A studio called Who Cares Design<\/strong><\/a> feels that Victor Hugo\u2019s<\/strong> protagonist in \u201cThe Hunchback of Notre Dame\u201d<\/em> deserves an upgrade from his belfry attic \u2013 so they proposed building a rooftop villa for Quasimodo<\/a>. The penthouse, which would stretch across the cathedral’s crossing, is designed to replace Quasimodo’s previous home in Notre-Dame’s attic.<\/p>\n

This is not your ordinary urban loft, as Who Cares describes it:<\/p>\n

\u201cA modern and light-flooded penthouse with two gigantic patios including a helipad and a spa with an indoor \/ outdoor pool. The new loft has a living area of 8.000 sq. ft. with two patios of 540 sq. ft. each. \u00a0One rooftop garden is located on the east and the other on the west of the building.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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In the outlier competition we now move from the sublime to the ridiculous.<\/p>\n

[D]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

POOL \u2013 AND WE\u2019RE NOT TALKING A RIVER CITY TROUBLED BY A BALKLINE GAME OF BILLIARDS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Swedish firm of Ulf Mejergren Architects<\/a>\u00a0proposes a swimming pool on the rooftop, rather than rebuilding the spire.\u00a0 \u201cInstead we are proposing a meditative public space; a complementary spatial experience to the building with unmatched views over Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[E]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

PARKING LOT<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The firm of Yung Yonge\u00a0envisioned the roof of Notre-Dame being turned into a single-level car park as a dig at North America’s car culture. He tweeted the image with the caption<\/a>: “If North Americans are put in charge of the Notre-Dame reconstruction”.<\/p>\n

But the Irish architect Rob Cross<\/strong> (apparently inspired by Joni Mitchell\u2019s<\/strong> Big Yellow Taxi<\/em> lyrics \u201cThey paved paradise And put up a parking lot\u201d<\/em>) ran with the idea, turning it into a multi-level parking garage.<\/p>\n

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[F]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ROCKET LAUNCHING PAD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

After seeing even more outliers like turning into a Louis Vuitton center, Circus Tent and McDonalds, Chilean-born designer Sebastian Errazuriz<\/strong> cried \u201cENOUGH!\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 and suggested turning Notre-Dame Cathedral<\/a>\u00a0into a space-rocket launchpad in an “act of creative one-upmanship” designed to stop architects producing more proposals.<\/p>\n

“This is not a serious a proposal for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame.\u00a0 This is an act of creative one-upmanship designed to ridicule every remaining, rapacious architectural firm still circling the carcass of Notre-Dame with an ‘idea’ for a new roof proposal.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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SERIOUS PROPOSALS<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But there were also serious proposals, so let\u2019s take a look at a few.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll notice that glass is a popular design element in many of them.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

CRYSTAL<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Italian firm of Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas<\/a>\u00a0 proposed a\u00a0contemporary design for the roof and spire made from\u00a0Baccarat crystal, which would be lit up at night.<\/p>\n

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[2]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

GLASS & STONE with TRADITIONAL SPIRE<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Russian architect Alexander Nerovnya<\/strong> also proposes a fully glass roof, but with a traditional spire structure.<\/p>\n

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[3]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

APIARY<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 2013 Notre Dame has housed three beehives on a roof over the sacristy 100 feet below the main roof, just beneath the celebrated stained-glass Rose window. \u00a0Each one of the hives has about 60,000 bees \u2013 and all 180,000 honeybees made it through the fire unscathed!<\/p>\n

The Paris-based firm of Studio NAB<\/strong> wants to celebrate that miracle, so they envision a glass greenhouse roof that would actually house an apiary in the spire for the honeybees.\u00a0 And according to Lonely Planet<\/a>, their design also includes planters made from burnt oak salvaged from the attic.<\/p>\n

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[4]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

SPIRE OF LIGHT<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Slovakian studio of Vizum Atelier<\/strong> has focused on reimagining the iconic spire of Eug\u00e8ne Viollet-le-Duc<\/strong> as a beam of light.\u00a0 To accomplish this, they propose a tower with a powerful beam to shine a light up into the heavens.\u00a0 Their theory is that in the Gothic era, builders tried to reach the sky, like the Eug\u00e8ne Viollet-le-Duc spire.\u00a0 \u201cNow, it\u2019s possible to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

[NOTE<\/strong>: WRT Instagram photo series – when you come to the frame w\/ only ONE arrow (either forward or backward), if you click it – it will open in a separate Instagram window.]<\/em><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s 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><\/p>\n

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