At a press conference in the Council of Ministers on April 17 and concerning the future international competition for the rehabilitation of the Notre Dame Cathedral, the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe expressed the wish that the future project should be "adapted to issues of our time." For the French architects with Studio NAB, this gave room to pitch an idea to transform the Notre-Dame into a sustainable place for inclusion and education. To make it more concrete: put a greenhouse on top of it.
The team pitched some axes of reflection to build a new cathedral anchored in its time, turned towards the future and representing the stakes of our time Even though the project proposal is altruistic and the images presented are only for the sole purpose to illustrate their thinking, it does so for sure.
"Enable the professional reintegration of the poor by learning urban agriculture, horticulture and permaculture through the creation of a greenhouse. Reconnect our children to nature and educate them through educational workshops organized within this same greenhouse", they say. "The burnt oak framework, nicknamed "the forest", will be reused to create all the planters and facilities present in the greenhouse. This is the symbol of acceptance of the course of history and the metaphorical illustration that this "forest" became burnt wood, can serve as a cradle to the new vegetation."
The original silhouette of the building is respected in the plan. "Like a royal crown, light and openwork, the arrow and the future cover are imagined in gold-tone steel structure and filled with glass panels, all respecting the initial sequencing of the roofs. The dozen statues of the original arrow will be relocated after their restoration, right in the greenhouse to watch over the latter."
Read the complete idea of Studio NAB here.