Notre Dame design comp
Leading architects to submit plans
A GLOBAL design competition has been launched to rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
In echoes of the 1956 challenge that led to the Sydney Opera House being built, the world’s best architects have been asked to submit their designs to French authorities.
Fire-proofing will be among the criteria for the landmark’s rebuild after this week’s blaze that destroyed two-thirds of the roof and its famed spire.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the competition yesterday, throwing open the possibility of a completely new design for the spire that collapsed in the fire.
He said the competition would give “Notre Dame a spire adapted to techniques and challenges of our times”.
He labelled it “a huge challenge, a historic responsibility”.
Details of the competition emerged as firefighters managed to enter the building yesterday to assess the damage. The cathedral’s rose stainedglass windows had survived the blaze but there were concerns about whether the supporting materials were too badly damaged.
The water used to extinguish the fire, combined with the blaze’s intense heat, may have weakened the building’s structure, authorities fear.
More than $1.25 billion (€800 million euros) has so far been pledged to rebuild the cathedral with tax breaks offered to those making donations.
United States President Donald Trump offered his country’s expertise and support for the rebuild, after he had spoken to Pope Francis.
“Just had a wonderful conversation with @Pontifex Francis offering condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral,” he posted on Twitter.
“I offered the help of our great experts on renovation and construction as I did in my conversation yesterday with President @EmmanuelMacron of France.”
Mr Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral in five years but experts have warned that is optimistic. They warn the clean-up could take years before work could begin.
There were also concerns last night about the cathedral’s alarm system after the first warnings failed to pinpoint the fire’s location.
Firefighters may have also missed a vital window to contain the blaze before it spread to the 850-year-old building that was almost destroyed after it survived two world wars.
Pope Francis yesterday thanked the 400 firefighters who tried to save the Catholic cathedral.
“The gratitude of the whole church goes to all those who did everything they could, even risking their lives, to save the Basilica,” he said in St Peter’s Square in Rome.