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Drone footage shows the extent of damage from the Notre Dame Cathedral fire

18 Apr

The Notre Dame Cathedral, located on a small island on the Seine River in Paris, has withstood the French Revolution, two world wars and the horrors of Nazi occupation. A devastating fire ripped through the 850-year-old landmark this past Monday, decimating its vaulting, roof and spire. The above drone footage, courtesy of Ruptly, shows the extent of the damage. A panorama from Gigarama offers up additional context.

Up to 500 firefighters battled the flames into the late evening on Monday. According to a recent article in The Guardian, the cathedral was 15 to 30 minutes away from complete destruction if efforts to prevent the fire from reaching the bell towers had not succeeded. The two towers did not incur any structural damage.

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— Alexandre Fremont (@alex_fremont) April 15, 2019

Some credit for this small triumph can be attributed to the use of DJI drones, a Mavic Pro and Matrice M210. Remote pilots were able to track the movement of the flames and inform firefighters on where they should aim the fire hoses. ‘The drones allowed us to correctly use what we had at our disposal,’ said fire brigade spokesman Gabriel Plus in comments translated from French.

French President Emanuel Macron has vowed to completely restore the structure in five years time, an ambitious goal considering that the Notre Dame Cathedral took several hundred years to build. Police say the fire was likely an accident caused in the wake of renovations, though a full investigation is currently underway.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Heavenly Vaults: Virtual Reality Ceiling Installation in a Gothic Cathedral

13 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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The ceilings of Paris’ Saint Eustache Church are once again alive and flickering with a surreal display of abstract imagery as artist Miguel Chevalier projects ‘Voûtes Célestes’ onto its vaults, nave and transepts. Installed for the annual Nuit Blanche (All-Nighter) event, the live light show flashes, ripples and glows along to musical improvisations by the church’s organist, envisioning imaginary sky charts created by Chevalier in real time.

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Blankets of stars and other celestial bodies glimmer in the dark, transected by neon lines in green, red and yellow that crackle light lightning and ripple as if being blown by wind. The lights interact with the architecture of the church, blurring its actual form and creating trompe l’oeil effects. At times, the entire ceiling seems to disappear, putting on display an imaginary sky full of colorful lights.

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“These suspended universes accentuate one’s impression of the monument’s loftiness and lightness,” says Chevalier. “Visitors are invited to stroll around, to sit in the pews, and to lift up their eyes toward the heavens. These digital constellation of pixels immerse visitors in an atmosphere bathed in light while opening unto infinity.”

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“The installation releases radiant energy into this space of plentitude. Amplified by Saint Eustache’s organ music, the installation induces a spiritual and contemplative feeling of elevation. Light, color and movement create a poetics of matter and elaborate a new aesthetics of virtuality.”

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Cardboard Cathedral: Temporary Structure Acts as Placeholder

05 Oct

[ By Delana in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

In 2011, Christchurch, New Zealand was hit with a massive 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Among the city’s most heartbreaking losses was the destruction of the iconic 1864 Anglican cathedral. The city plans to have a new cathedral built, but designing and erecting a large building doesn’t just happen overnight. Shigeru Ban Architects, masters of cardboard constructions, came to the rescue with a temporary solution.

The Cardboard Cathedral is built to last up to 50 years, which should be more than enough time to get a permanent structure in place. The temporary building is made from 98 cardboard tubes and eight shipping containers, with the tubes forming the dramatic ultra-high peaked ceiling. Rather than constructing a simple emergency building to house the congregation, the architect did something extraordinary and created a temporary cathedral that actually looks like a place of worship.

Shigeru Ban wants to make it clear that, although paper is traditionally a rather weak material, this structure is one of the most earthquake-proof in Christchurch. A concrete building is easily crumbled by an earthquake, but the paper building is far less rigid. This means that it can absorb the shock of a quake without falling apart.

The cardboard tubes are coated with waterproof polyurethane and a flame retardant, so they won’t succumb to the elements. Outside of the cardboard tube ceiling, a semi-transparent polycarbonate roof adds further protection for the building and its occupants. The cathedral can hold up to 700 people, and not just for religious services; it can also be used as an event venue or concert hall.

One of the most touching parts of this project is the etched stained glass window at the entrance. The colorful glass triangles show pictures from the destroyed church’s facade, ensuring that part of that beloved landmark lives on.

(images via: Shigeru Ban and Jocelyn Kinghorn)

[ By Delana in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Destroyed Cathedral: Rare Photos Offer Glimpse Into WWI

06 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Seen from the eyes of a German officer, these dramatic photos depict the St. Quentin Cathedral in northern France, which was almost completely destroyed during World War I. They’re part of a collection of over a thousand photos, stereographs and negatives saved by Lt. Walter Koessler’s family and shared by his grandson on Tumblr and in a forthcoming Kickstarter-funded book.

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“Walter’s training as an architect drew him to photograph and sketch many buildings throughout the war,” writes Dean Putney, who has taken on the task of preserving and printing the photos. “Churches were a particular favorite, and with their roofs blown off by battle these were probably rare opportunities to capture their insides on the insensitive film of the time.”

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The church was constructed over a period of nearly two hundred years, starting in the 12th century, and survived damage from both fire and invaders’ artillery several times prior to World War I. In 1916, a bomb dropped nearby blew out many of its stained glass windows, and in 1917, a fire destroyed everything within its walls, causing the vaulting of the central nave to collapse, and destroying parts of the flying buttresses.

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In 1918, the Germans almost succeeded in blowing the whole thing to dust. Having chased out the occupiers, French soldiers entered the cathedral to find that ninety-three holes had been drilled in the walls and pillars and filled with explosives. A German engineer captain was left behind to finish off the task, and stopped just in time. The church has since been restored.

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Koessler’s photos offer a unique glimpse not only into the German side of the war (as Putney points out, most surviving photos were taken by the Allies) but the personal viewpoint of a photographer who had been trained as an architect. See the whole series at the Walter Koessler Project.

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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