Design Intent
On April 15th, 2019 the world watched with horror and disbelief as the iconic spire of Notre-Dame de Paris became engulfed in flames and collapsed. As a renowned cultural, historical and religious symbol, the obliteration of the cathedral’s roof and spire was a devastating loss for the city of Paris and the French nation. The International Community fully acknowledges that Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century spire be replaced and we at NAK eagerly embrace the challenge to prove that we are as capable of excellence as our predecessors.
Our design proposal is guided by deep respect for this cathedral’s Gothic architecture, which boasts innovative structural features dating back to the 12th century. The intent is to create a magnificent, timeless edifice, not dated by current trends in architecture and design. Respecting the pioneering structural advances attributed to this landmark cathedral, the polished stainless steel, majestic in its strength and resilience, is notably weather resistant and fire-proof.
This shining silver spire, reverential and elegant against the Parisian sky, contains a secret – un grand mystère. Contained within are brilliant, colourful, programmable lights, which can dance and strobe at night on special occasions to the delight of spectators. To respect the tradition of the former timber spire, we propose to cap the spire with the original girouette or a replica which will also contain powerful apotropaics to protect the church from dark forces as it did for the first 150 years.
The critical advantage of our design is that it is modular and can be easily fabricated and brought to the site for assembly and erection. It can also be manufactured quickly from available materials and offers demonstrable structural integrity and longevity. With considerable experience working together on distinguished civic projects, our team are experts in designing and building monumental works in stainless steel.
