SCUGOG: In the wake of the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier this year, an international call for designers has gone out seeking submissions for the future of the structure and its iconic spire.
Local designer Stephen Rowe has answered the call.
“This project has been really interesting and a lot of fun,” Mr. Rowe told The Standard. “It’s great that the project has been so well received.”
As he explained to The Standard, Mr. Rowe’s design balances a modern solution sympathetic to the architecture that was present.
“It is important to follow the example of the architect responsible for the design of the lost spire and the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. We should be operating within the spirit of the Gothic but not try to woodenly re-create what was so tragically lost in the fire three months ago.”
Mr. Rowe added that his designs try to maintain the original spirit of the iconic Gothic spire while creating “a garden in the sky” over the cathedral.
Through the design process, and paying close attention to the balance between honouring what was there with more modern sensibilities and the ongoing debate regarding modern additions to iconic Canadian buildings such as the Chateau Laurier, the ROM and the Museum of Natural History,
“How we approach this design problem has implications not just for
Notre Dame but also for how we approach restoration and additions to other cherished historic buildings,” added Mr. Rowe.
Voting for the designs runs until Tuesday, July 30th and can be done by visiting www.designnotredame.com/design-submissions/10189.