Notre-Dame de Paris: the delicate dismantling of the scaffolding melted by the fire

Text by: Alexis Bedu Follow

The last stage of the dismantling operation of the damaged scaffolding of Notre-Dame de Paris started on Monday, June 8. The cathedral spire was being restored during the fire on April 15, 2019. The scaffolding installed for this operation resisted the collapse of the spire, but it was deformed by the heat of the fire and it must therefore be completely dismantled.

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This is the last crucial step in securing the building. The impressive scaffolding is a tangle of 40,000 metal parts, more than half of which is at least 40 meters high. The dismantling of this giant mass blackened by fire is a very complex and meticulously prepared operation. In particular, it was necessary to "  consolidate the scaffolding, weighing 200 tonnes, by surrounding it with metal beams on three different levels  ," said the press release from the public establishment responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral. -Lady of Paris.

A delicate operation which must last all summer

Two teams of five rope access technicians will be responsible for carrying out the most delicate operation since the fire. They will descend alternately as close as possible to the calcined parts to cut the molten metal tubes, twisted by heat, sometimes welded together. Suspended in the air, the rope access technicians must carefully remove them from the upper part of Notre-Dame de Paris. Like a game of giant open mikado, it will be necessary to respect an order in the deconstruction to maintain the balance of the structure. The teams will use 3D modeling of the scaffolding. Dozens of sensors were installed, in particular to monitor the stability of the building.

This operation, scheduled to last three to four months, was delayed by the coronavirus epidemic. It was due to start in March, but the site was put on hold at the time of confinement in France. It gradually resumed in late April. The cathedral forecourt, closed for more than a year, was reopened on May 31 to the delight of Parisians. A complete diagnosis of the building is expected before the end of the year. The architects will then be able to recommend how to restore it and cost the work that would probably be launched in 2021.

Rebuild the same?

In the aftermath of the fire, Emmanuel Macron had wanted a 5-year reconstruction of the cathedral. This objective is maintained despite the accumulated delay.
What form will the replacement for the Viollet-Le-Duc arrow disappeared in the flames in April 2019 take? Identical as some would like or, as mentioned by Emmanuel Macron, "  in a contemporary architectural gesture  "? This is the main unknown in this future reconstruction site.

► Read also :  One year after the Notre-Dame fire, the cathedral site in abeyance

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