International Call for Architects to Design New Notre Dame Roofline

ARCHITECTS from around the world have been invited to submit their designs for the new Notre Dame Cathedral roof and spire following Monday night’s blaze.

President Emmanuel Macron made the competition announcement during a television address on Tuesday (16 April 2019). He told reporters that the government of France hoped for “a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era”.

The 19th Century spire was constructed of an oak framework covered by lead and was positioned centrally on the oak and lead roof.

New Notre Dame Roofline

The fire, which spread rapidly across the Cathedral’s roof space, is thought to have been accidentally started when roof workers restoring the spire left work for the day. Extensive scaffolding surrounding the spire covered most of the roof and is thought to be the location of the fire’s first outbreak.

The spire of the 850-year-old landmark was added to the Cathedral during a 19^th Century restoration project led by French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.

Following a cabinet meeting regarding the fire, Edouard Philippe, Prime Minister of France said: “The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc, or, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, whether we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire. This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility.”

The fund of donations to re-build the ruined Cathedral is nearing €1 billion, with the French government intending to legislate on tax breaks for donations.

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