I guess I'm confused by the question – to me, "replica" suggests that the entire cathedral was lost and that we are looking at a full re-build. While the damage is significant and extensive, the limestone walls are still there, and the building is reported to be structurally sound. Obviously, it needs a new roof, and the stone vaults on the interior will need to be rebuilt. Replica or not, the choice is to rebuild and restore, or let the building fall to ruin. The latter option seems unfortunate at best.
It's worth remembering as well that the spire that collapsed is a relatively recent addition by Viollet-le-Duc in the 1800s during a major restoration effort. Moreover, the design of the building itself evolved over time, starting in 1163 when the first stone was laid and continuing through the 1300s. It wasn't until 1220 that the ceiling was reconceived with rib vaults, reducing the loads on the exterior walls and allowing the windows to be much larger than originally conceived. It's a shame that the ancient timber roof structure is lost, but rebuilding it with glue-laminated timber or steel should be feasible, and I'm sure there's a way to re-build the spire. Thanks to the labor of love by the late Andrew Tallon, information on the construction as it existed a few days ago is available. It seems more a matter of financial and political will.
Yes, I suppose a new roof and a new spire would be replicas of what had been there before – but what is the alternative?
An 800-year history of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral
National Geographic |
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An 800-year history of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral |
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the recent news event of a fire at the iconic landmark. It was originally published in the May/June 2017 issue of National Geographic History Magazine. Notre Dame de Paris is perhaps France's most famous landmark: standing tall at the heart of the city for centuries, accepting the people's reverance one day, then facing their rejection on another. |
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The Images That Could Help Rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral
The Atlantic |
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The Images That Could Help Rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral |
"Andrew was relentless at scanning full buildings," his colleague John Ochsendorf, of MIT, told me. "He would get on top of the vaults and under the roofs to capture the geometry." (A year before he died, Tallon posted a brief tour of the upper parts of the choir as a 3-D video to YouTube, embedded below.) |
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Mark Careaga AIA
Principal / Owner
Mark Careaga Architect
Cambridge MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-16-2019 18:32
From: Wilbert Helmick
Subject: notre dame
am i the only one who wonders if a replica of notre dame is the best rebuild?
Sent from my iPhone