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The French Senate doesn’t want your Notre Dame restoration ideas

Reconstruction & Renovation

The French Senate doesn’t want your Notre Dame restoration ideas

France’s Prime Minister Édouard Philippe originally wanted to hold an international competition to redesign the cathedral’s roof.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | June 5, 2019

Courtesy Pixabay

Don’t expect to see the roof of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral adorned with an infinity pool or a greenhouse filled with exotic plants in the near future.

After a fire destroyed the building’s spire and much of its roof on the evening of April 15, ideas from both professional and amateur architects and designers alike have been presented for how to restore the centuries-old building. While some have been more realistic than others, the French Senate has decided to put a stop to any theorizing of what is to come.

 

See Also: Notre Dame fire highlights danger of renovating historic structures

 

The Senate recently approved the restoration bill passed by the French Parliament, but added a clause that states the Cathedral must be rebuilt and restored to its last known visual condition. Additionally, the bill allows work on the project to be completed before the Paris Olympics begin in 2024, a timeframe that some fear is too accelerated and concerned more with politics than careful historical restoration.

Due to the changes made in the bill, the Senate and the Assemblée nationale must now come to an agreement on a version of the bill before it can become law, according to The Local, a European news site.

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