The reconstructed Notre Dame cathedral could take some design cues from Apple stores if a proposal from design frim Eight Inc. wins the design competition.
Eight Inc, which designed some of the first iconic Apple stores, submitted a design that uses structural glass to reconstruct the roof and spire that were destroyed in a fire earlier this year. Mockups for the transparent roof look pretty incredible.
Take a close look at the glass spire:
Photo: Eight Inc.
“I believe this definitive example of French gothic architecture requires a deep respect and appreciation of the history and intent of the original design,” said Tim Kobe, founder and CEO of Eight Inc. “Its proportions, scale and detail brings life to the architecture. It should not be about the ego of a new architectural expression but a solution to honour this historic structure.”
Rebuilding Notre Dame
The French senate passed a bill requiring the Notre Dame cathedral to be rebuilt exactly as it was. A design competition has been opened for the reconstruction project with French president Emmanuel Macron saying he’s open to an inventive reconstruction.
Installing structural glass for the roof would require less framework. Eight Inc’s team believes it would respect the scale and texture of the original design while invoking the temporal nature of the building.
Over €1 billion has already been donated to the restoration project, mostly from French billionaires. Apple promised to donate to the cause as well but didn’t specify an amount. Now that Jony Ive is done with Apple Park and has a lot of free time, maybe he could lend a hand too.
