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Designers Reimagine Notre-Dame’s Roof as an Educational Greenhouse

By Jessica Stewart on April 25, 2019

From the ashes of the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, creative ideas about how to possibly reshape the space are sprouting. As ideas are being batted about for the best way to tackle the renovation, Studio NAB has released a concept for how to transform Notre-Dame into a sustainable place for inclusion and education.

By transforming the roof into a greenhouse, Studio NAB pushes Notre-Dame into a new space. In their design, the burnt oak framework would be used for planters within the greenhouse, which spans the entire roof. Designed to be an educational hub allowing the underprivileged and disenfranchised to gain professional training in urban agriculture, horticulture, and permaculture, the greenhouse would also host workshops for children.

Another crucial point in the concept is the transformation of the central spire into an apiary filled with hundreds of beehives. Not only would this help address the worldwide shortage of bees, but allow for the training of professional beekeepers. Together, the entire structure would contribute to a new sustainable ethos.

Through their design, Studio NAB calls on the rich agricultural tradition of monastic orders and brings this practice into the city. By respecting the original shape of the roof and spire, the firm pays homage to the past while highlighting how the fire can be used as an opportunity to refresh the cathedral's role in Paris. Described by Studio NAB as “anchored in its time, turned towards the future and representing the stakes of our time,” the concept is a fresh, innovative look at church architecture.