CNA Staff, Sep 22, 2020 / 23:00 pm
After fire toppled the iconic spire and destroyed the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France in April 2009, heated debates ensued about whether the reconstruction should use the church's original design, or use a more modern design and technique.
Some proposed futuristic ideas included a rooftop swimming pool and a greenhouse atop the 850-year-old cathedral.
Last year, the French Senate passed a bill mandating that Notre-Dame be rebuilt as it was before the fire, with lumber and medieval carpentry techniques, which were highlighted in a public demonstration Saturday in the cathedral's square.
"It shows…firstly that we made the right choice in choosing to rebuild the carpentry identically, in oak from France," Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who heads the reconstruction efforts, told the AP.