Architects reveal designs for Notre-Dame spire rebuild

Following the devastating fire that destroyed the roof of Notre-Dame in Paris, architects have stepped forward offering a range alternative proposals for the Parisian landmark

After Notre-Dame suffered a serious fire last month, President Macron made a televised address promising to restore the cathedral in just five years

Last month, French legislators announced that they would be holding an international design competition for how the beloved cathedral ought to be reconstructed.

News of the competition has prompted architects from around the world to release visualisations of their ideas for replacing the spire while over €1 billion (A$1.62bn) has been donated towards the rebuilding project, mostly from French billionaires.

French prime minister Edouard Philippe said that, instead of simply recreating the original spire, they want a new design “adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era”.

The spire dramatically collapsed in front of crowds, who had gathered to watch in horror as the historic French gothic cathedral went up in flames.

However, this spire was not an original part of the cathedral, which was built in the 12 and 13th centuries. The first spire is believed to have been part of the roof between the 13th and 18th centuries, but was removed due to wind damage.

French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc added a new spire over the transept as part of his restoration in the 19th century.

A decision on a new Notre-Dame is months away, as experts are still assessing the damage.

But once a design is announced for the cathedral, architects, construction workers and master craftsmen will have to race to meet the five-year deadline imposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, in line with the Olympic Games in 2024.

The debate continues about how best to rebuild the cathedral, with some insisting that Notre-Dame should be rebuilt exactly as it was, while others – most notably, architect Norman Foster – have proposed that it should be modernised.

: Miysis Studio has proposed classic and contemporary elements to create a new public space atop the cathedral [Miysis Studio]

: Cyprus collaborative architectural studio Kiss The Architect has proposed rebuilding the spire with an eclectic mix of arches and balls wrapped around a central staircase [Kiss the Archictect]

: Architect Clément Willemin’s proposal features an open roof and garden [Base]

: Colorado-based Studio Tjoa envisions a modern spire that’s made entirely of modular sand-casted copper panels [Studio Tjoa]

: France-based Summum Architecture want to utilise the area directly underneath the new roof to create a greenhouse [Summum Perspective]

: Designer Mathieu Lehanneur unveiled his plan for a new spire for the cathedral: a gleaming, 300-foot flame, made of carbon fiber and covered in gold leaf, that would be a permanent reminder of the tragedy [Dakis Panayiotou]

: Russia architect Alexander Nerovnya proposes combining a fully glass roof with a more traditional spire structure [Alexander Nerovnya]

: Architect Alexandre Chassang’s proposal calls for a new spire made of triangles of glass [ABH Architectes]

: Alexandre Fantozzi’s proposal features a rebuilt roof and spire entirely in stained glass [AJ6]

: A proposal for the renovation of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame by the French architect firm Godart + Roussel Architectes [Godart + Roussel Architectes]

: Bratislava based Vizumatelier’s proposal for the spire is a lightweight tower topped with a beam of light that will shine directly upward [Vizumatelier]

: Paris-based Studio NAB has proposed a giant greenhouse claiming that the rebuilt cathedral should be “adapted to issues of our time” [NAB]

: French architectural firm Vincent Callebaut has proposed a massive stain-glassed spire and greenhouse system which would generate clean energy for the cathedral [Vincent Callebaut]

: Studio Fuksas proposed that the spire be replaced with a “very high pinnacle made like a Baccarat crystal, which, like the roof, can be lit up at night and filled with light” [Studio Fuksas]

: Dutch artist collective Studio Drift has proposed that the new Notre-Dame could be eco-friendly using recycled plastic found in the oceans to tile the new roof [Studio Drift]