Kengo Kuma's Angers Cathedral Arches Draw Mixed Reactions

Key facts

• Kengo Kuma added a concrete arched entrance to Angers Cathedral in France, unveiled in April 2026.
• The arches double as a gallery and frame the medieval sculptural doorway on the west side of the Angevin Gothic-style cathedral.
• Commenter Grace Plus called the design 'very disappointing,' saying it reduces the central doorway to a secondary event.
• David Chase Martin wrote the arches should have stood alone as pure objects, calling the flat top 'completely antithetical.'
• Winterberg commented, 'The cathedral looks like a beautiful face wearing a VR headset.'
• Michael Wigle said the arches make logical sense but do not speak to the engineering of the churches.
• Architect Incognito suggested a more unassuming oak structure would have let the cathedral breathe.
• Mari Fisher was pleased, noting the arches repeat and reflect shapes in the cathedral.
• Heywood Floyd liked that the design seems completely disengaged from the original building.
• US president Donald Trump plans to repaint the base of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC in 'American flag blue.'
• Commenter Ghost of Mike Brady questioned if it would look like mouthwash; A1 joked about coloring trees red and grass white.
• Frank Lloyd Wrong called painting granite a sin, suggesting proper refurbishment.
• JZ sarcastically proposed installing mirrors or polished brass instead.
• BT76 argued making the bottom bright defeats the reflecting purpose, comparing it to flipping a mid-century brick house white with black trim.
• Studioninedots designed a five-storey home in Amsterdam wrapped with glass bricks and metal grilles.
• Ferran Espin praised the 'elegant and pleasant use of space, materials and natural light.'
• David Chase Martin wrote 'uitmuntend Studioninedots' (excellent Studioninedots).
• Marius liked the house but warned against tile with grouted joints on kitchen counters.
• Andrew S.t.y.l.ish compared the design to Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre in Paris.