On the evening of April 15th, 2019 the world held its breath as the Notre-Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames. A few hours later the centuries-old cathedral had lost its entire roof, spire, and was severely damaged. Thankfully it was not completely destroyed and many priceless artifacts from the interior were saved.

As we think about what happened, it is easy to recognize that Notre-Dame Cathedral is more than a building. It is a symbol, a collection of memories, a witness to history, and a monument we've all been impacted by. You don't have to be French or even Catholic to understand this building is beyond a collection of pews, alters, and stained-glass windows.

This collective understanding now presents us with the most unique of questions; where do we go from here? Do we rebuild the structure exactly as it was or do we search for a new representation of our shared experience? If it is the latter, what will this representation look like, feel like, and act like? 

This is your challenge. Design your answer to the future of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The iconic roof has been destroyed, the spire is gone, and only the 2 iconic towers and the surrounding structure remain. Now it is up to you to show your vision for the future.

We can't leave this up to the big-name firms and closed-door meetings. Notre-Dame was a cathedral for the people; it's future should be influenced by the people. This design competition will do everything in its power to demonstrate to the decision makers that designers from all of the world deserve a chance.

Submissions

Submissions must be composed of 4 parts.

  • One aerial image of your design
  • One street-level image of your design
  • One "experience" image of your design. Showing any unique feature you wish to highlight.
  • A short description of your design. Under 500 words in English.

How will the winner be decided?

Every approved submission will be made public and be open to public voting. This open public voting process will be live until July 30, at which point the design with the most verified1 votes will be deemed the winner.

  • 1. Verified votes are votes that have been determined to be free of bot or other forms of digital manipulation