Paris, Notre Dame, the Seine, trees, a walk… If so it is impossible not to be a hopeless romantic. Just over three years have passed since the fire that almost destroyed one of the symbols of the French capital and with it, part of the rich architectural, historical and cultural heritage of the country. Today it is in the process of being restored and thanks to the landscape artist Bas Smetsits surroundings will compete in beauty with the beautiful cathedral.
More than 100 new trees will be planted.
According to the landscaper himself, «the project rethinks the emblematic public spaces around Notre-Dame as an assemblage of climatic atmospheres. The atrium becomes a clearing surrounded by trees, the square behind the Cathedral widens towards the tip of the island, and a large new park is created along the Seine. Compressed around the Cathedral, these spaces frame new views of Notre-Dame, create a new relationship with the Seine and offer new activities. The Ile de la Cité is once again the epicenter of Paris”.
The spaces create a new relationship with the Seine.
The Belgian studio’s project won the design competition that was held a few months ago and aims to return to the Parisians and the 12 million visitors who come each year a privileged environment that makes the experience of visiting the monument even more unique.
The current underground car park will be an interior walkway.
The project has also had the architect and urban planner GRAUY Neufville-Gayet as collaborators in the patrimonial dimension. “The square located behind the cathedral, currently divided by hedges and fences, will become a large continuous public space opening onto the apse of the cathedral. The southern gardens and existing trees will be integrated into a large riverside park 400 meters long.
The square behind the Cathedral widens towards the tip of the island.
“A total of 131 new trees. It is proposed to transform the current underground car park, located under the current main square, into an interior promenade. This will house the reception areas of Notre Dame, of more than 3,000 square meters, and will offer access to the archaeological crypt and an opening towards the Seine”. Impossible to resist.