Several designers said in interviews that their designs were merely artistic responses to the shock of the fire. But some also hope that their plans will be chosen. Two days after the fire, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe of France said that there would be an international competition for a spire to replace the one designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc that was destroyed. “This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility,” Mr. Philippe said. No details of the proposed contest have yet been released. President Emmanuel Macron of France said last month that he was not opposed to a “a contemporary architectural gesture” that could make Notre-Dame “even more beautiful.” But many in France have called for Viollet-le-Duc’s spire to be restored as it had been built. On Thursday, the daily newspaper Le Figaro published a survey suggesting that 55 percent of French people wanted the spire restored to its original form and several politicians have pushed for an identical replacement. A proposed law on how the restoration would be financed was put before the French Parliament on Friday. The law would also allow exemptions from environmental and heritage rules for the project, seen as measures intended to make it possible to comply with Mr. Macron’s stated desire to rebuild the cathedral within five years. In response, more than 1,100 architecture professionals and art historians published a letter in Le Figaro on April 29 calling on the government to “take time to find the right way” to restore the structure and ensure that heritage laws were respected. Franck Riester, the French culture minister, told Parliament on Friday that the restoration would “not be hasty” and that the government would listen to critics of the proposed law. No major architect has yet issued a proposal for how they would rebuild Notre-Dame, but several said they would consider entering a competition when details were announced.<doc-sep>Using the destruction of one of the prime Christian sites in the world as a chance to push your pet environmental agendas is disrespectful to Notre Dame's heritage. Also, architects, please stop putting fake tiny parks everywhere. Top French design bureau Vincent Callebaut Architectures has gone viral with its plans to replace the roof of the medieval cathedral with a glass shell filled with solar panels. Underneath will be a "sustainable" farm capable of producing 21 tons of fruit and vegetables each year, to be given out for free to the homeless. Not coincidentally perhaps, this is at least the third eco-garden proposal that has been made public, while the vast majority of the submitted designs for the planned reconstruction feature a glass roof. One can picture the unquestioning thought processes percolating through these architectural firms: how can we keep the idea of a church being a beneficial public space alive, while updating it to the present day? What could be more positive than green energy? There is one thing: restoring Notre Dame as a cathedral space. One understands that these designers are secular in their worldview even if nominally religious, but why do they so blithely assume that they can take a building away from the Catholics who have maintained it continuously for 800 years, without even asking them, and turn it into something more to their liking? Esoteric as it may be, a cathedral has a function that is spiritual – it should facilitate communion with God – and having a vegetable patch may dilute this purpose. Environmentalism, quasi-religious as it is, does not equal bona fide Christianity. Also on rt.com For Christ’s sake! Why do liberals get tongue-tied when discussing the world’s largest religion? The architects might think there is something so post-modernly clever and ingeniously practical about their designs, but in fact they are just odd: if a football stadium was damaged in a fire, in a competition to restore it you wouldn't submit a blueprint to turn it into a shopping center or a theme park just because you don't like football. The fans still want to watch their team somewhere. And overused as such examples are, one would imagine if Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, or the Angkor Wat were damaged, the same firm would think twice about even publishing their unsolicited proposals for a glass box with a visitor center and viewing platform, which has happened with at least one of the designs here. Why do you hate your own cultural history that much? But maybe we are all thinking too narrowly. Maybe we are missing the aesthetic originality these architects are bringing into the world. But what is with the fetish for putting gardens in urban spaces? One assumes that the thinking goes: "A forest in the middle of a stone building – magical!" Though what you get instead is some thin, zoned greenery in a place where it would never naturally appear: not Eden but an inauthentic, inorganic party trick that will cost millions to maintain (could just give that money to the homeless instead of some carrots). And as you might see from its replication in so many near-identical submissions for Paris, this isn't even some budding idea. This is the prevailing "premium" urban aesthetic from New York's High Line, to Boris Johnson's never-to-be Garden Bridge, to dozens of shopping malls and restaurants in any global metropolis. So, here is the challenge, architects. If you are interested in more than easy clicks, what if instead of suggesting overplayed and soon-to-be-dated airport terminal roofs, you think of something that TRULY captures the spirit and purpose of Notre Dame, but is NOT a shiny brand-new replica of its every architectural evolution. If you can solve that conundrum, it is not just the devout who will be thankful in their prayers. By Igor Ogorodnev Igor Ogorodnev is a Russian-British journalist, who has worked at RT since 2007 as a correspondent, editor and writer.<doc-sep>
Written by Emily Dixon, CNN The rebuilt Notre Dame could feature a futuristic glass design, solar power, and an urban farm that supports vulnerable and homeless Parisians, if one architecture firm's vision is realized. In April, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an international competition for architects to redesign the cathedral's 19th century spire, which collapsed after a fire devastated the 850-year-old Gothic landmark. Paris firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures responded to the call with an innovative, eco-friendly design that supports the local population and produces more energy than it uses. The Vincent Callebaut project is titled "Palingenesis," a Greek concept of rebirth or recreation. The firm proposes a new roof made of glass, oak and carbon fiber, which connects "in one single curved stroke of pencil" to the sloping spire. The rooster which topped the original spire, retrieved from the rubble after the fire, will resume its watch from the new glass design, while the cathedral's choir will be "bathed in natural light." Vincent Callebaut Architectures Beneath the spire, the roof will host a fruit and vegetable farm run by charities and volunteers, in order to produce free food for vulnerable local people. "Up to 21 tons of fruits and vegetables could be harvested and directly redistributed for free each year," the firm said in a press release. "To that end, a farmers' market would be held every week on the forecourt of Notre Dame." Vincent Callebaut Architectures The roof and spire will also produce electricity, heat and ventilation for the cathedral: an "organic active layer" within the glass will provide solar power, while the roof's diamond-shaped "scales" will open to offer natural ventilation -- a design inspired by termite mounds. The spire will act as a "thermal buffer space" in which hot air accumulates in winter. The cathedral could host an urban farm which produces food for local people. Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures "How can we write the contemporary history of our country, but also that of science, art and spirituality together?" the firm said in a press release. "We seek to present a transcendent project, a symbol of a resilient and ecological future." If the Vincent Callebaut design is selected, the firm said, the reborn Notre Dame will define "the new face of the Church in the 21st century," presenting "a fairer symbiotic relationship between humans and nature."