La Flèche at Notre-Dame de Paris
This virtual reconstruction of the second spire, or "flèche" in French, built by Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-19th century, of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, was inspired by the overwhelming public outpouring of grief at its destruction during the fire of April 2019, and further influenced by a France 2 interview of architect-in-chief Philippe Villeneuve in which he revealed the tattoo of the spire on his forearm. Beginning with the most elementary drawings found online, along with observations of the wood model on display at the Musée de l'architecture in Paris, and then supplemented by the innumerable photographs of the cathedral online, this three-dimensional model was constructed using the Rhino software. Some of the gargoyles remain, as do the sculptures of the apostles (that protect them), and so this set of screenshots will be updated. The spire reaches a height of 96 meters above the street, with the lead adding 250 tons onto its oak-beam structure.
Paris
Location
Year
2023-2024
Designer
Raphaël JUSTEWICZ
3D Modeling
Rhino v8 Software
The spire, constructed with beams of oak which form the structural construction, is set on the crossing of the cathedral. Viewing the ensemble in this way, one sees the "tabouret," which is the key structural form that transmits the weight of everything above to the stone base below.
Viewed this way, the lead coating wraps the wood beams, the entire set able to be held in place due to the remarkable strength of the limestone cathedral defined by the architectural vocabulary of the Gothic period.
With a virtual model, the lead coat can be removed from its structural wood base, and seen independently, from the outside, or even from within.
Hovering over the spire at this height, some of the sculptural elements that are cast in lead can finally appear in focus, and in even further detail above.
