a stained glass roof twists into a spire for this alternative vision of notre dame cathedral

if you thought you’d seen the last of radical proposals on how to rebuild the notre dame cathedral, then think again. despite french president emmanuel macron having declared that paris’ beloved building would be restored to it’s original state before the fire of april 15th 2019, dutch architecture studio, trsnfrm, has shared their alternative concept for a sculptural glass roof that twists into a spire.  

visualizations by lightmap

the history and cultural heritage of the notre dame cathedral serves as the starting point for trnsfrm‘s design. in respect of the building’s 800 year history, the concept is conceived of first and foremost as a place of worship. to replace the destroyed roof and spire, the architects propose a contemporary sculpture made from colored glass. the idea is partly inspired by the new basilica of our lady guadalupe in mexico city by the late architect pedro ramirez vazquez and the galleria vittorio emanuele in milan. here a huge roof structure embraces the people inside.

the sculpture is made out of stained glass, in this case, fixed in a steel frame. as a result, during the day, the stained glass sculpture brings sunlight into the cathedral. at night, the interior lighting of the cathedral creates the opposite effect. the sculpture becomes a ‘glow in the dark’ point of reference on the parisian skyline.

project info:

concept by: trnsfrm

visualizations by: lightmap