From the pool to the bee hive: How will Notre-Dame be renewed!

After the fire that destroyed a part of Notre-Dame's famous cathedral in Paris last month, the challenge now lies with architects who will deal with its renovation. After collecting nearly 1 billion euros, President Emmanuel Macron announced the international contest to rebuild the 850-year-old cathedral.

While art lovers point out that firms that will restore Notre-Dame must preserve French Gothic identity and architecture, there have been few proposals that do not pay much attention to architecture.

For example, as a way of being environmentally friendly, architectural firm Vincent Callebaut in Paris presented an ecological design. The project is called Palingenesis, which from Greek means rebirth or regeneration. It features a glass roof, oak and carbon fiber that can turn solar energy into electricity for the cathedral. On the roof can be produced 21 tons of fruits and vegetables a year, which will be donated free of charge to locals. The purpose of the firm is to enrich the cathedral with details of the 21st century.

In the Summum project, the cathedral tower can be turned into a suitable space for animals and insects. It contains nuances of purple color to commemorate the fire.

Studio Nab

Studio Nab also seeks attention to insects, exactly 180,000 bees who have been living on the roof since 2013 and survived the fire. Nab wants to give the roof the function of a hive.

The Drift studio proposes a blue tiled roof made of recycled plastics collected in the oceans. Drift wants to save thousands of trees using plastic instead of wood and at the same time making the roof more durable.

Wait for there is still. The Swedish firm Ulf Mejergren proposes that a swimming pool be built on the roof as a form of "meditative public spaces".

Macron was optimistic, saying "if he is working hard, Notre-Dame can be built even within five years." However, experts are skeptical. "Reconstruction can take at least 40 years, or at least 20 if working at very fast rates," CBS News Emily Guerry, a lecturer in Medieval Europe History at Kent's British University, said.

Source: CBS News