Dutch Firm Proposes 3D-Printed Gargoyles for Notre-Dame Using Fire Debris

Dutch company Concr3de, founded in 2016 by architects Eric Geboers and Matteo Baldassari, has proposed using 3D printing to reconstruct parts of Notre-Dame Cathedral after the April 15, 2019 fire. The firm produced a replica of Le Stryge, a gargoyle added during the 19th-century restoration by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and damaged in the blaze, using scans and a mixture of limestone and ash from the fire debris. The material uses Lutetian limestone from mines now buried under Paris and 13th-century oak from the roof. Concr3de employed the Armadillo White printer with millimeter precision, relying on 2015 scans by art historian Andrew Tallon. The technique could also be applied to vault stones and spire parts, offering a faster and cheaper alternative to traditional carving. Other proposals include a Baccarat crystal spire by Studio Fuksas, colored glass roof by AJ6 Studio, transparent roof by Foster + Partners, and a rooftop greenhouse and beehive spire by NAB Studio. Belgian artist Wim Delvoye also entered the international competition for the new spire announced by French President Emmanuel Macron, who aims to reopen the cathedral in five years.