Tai Kwun Conversations: Notre Dame, How to Rebuild a Masterpiece of Gothic Architecture in the 21st Century

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Tai Kwun — Centre for Heritage and Arts is pleased to announce that this spring, Tai Kwun Conversations will present an all-new series of online talks to discuss worldwide conservation work and the complexities of each individual project. Making its debut as a series of three thematic talks, World Heritage: International Series on Architectural Conservation will be available to the public beginning in March through Tai Kwun’s online channel and carrying on until May 2022, free of charge.

The talks are part of the ongoing effort by Tai Kwun to showcase professionals, industry practitioners, advocates, and participants in the field of heritage conservation, architecture, arts, design, and culture, and connect them to the city’s public to create long-term and meaningful relationships.

To kick-off the spring season, Tai Kwun Conversations will present three international case studies of built heritage conservation: the renovation of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera), the adaptive reuse of the former Supreme Court Building and City Hall in Singapore as the new National Gallery Singapore, and the rebuilding of the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris after the April 2019 fire. Join Tai Kwun to explore the protection and continuity of world heritage that embraces transformation, resilience, and adaptation to changing global conditions.

World Heritage: International Series on Architectural Conservation (3): Notre Dame: How to Rebuild a Masterpiece of Gothic Architecture in the 21st Century?

The final chapter of World Heritage: International Series on Architectural Conservation delves into the reconstruction of the iconic Norte-Dame de Paris. Built between the 12th and the 14th century, the Notre-Dame Cathedral is widely considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture, as well as being one of the most recognised symbols of Paris and of France. On 15 April 2019, the cathedral caught fire, destroying the spire and the roof. The images of Notre-Dame burning rapidly spread all over the world and triggered a wave of support and donations. Soon after, a question arose: how to reconstruct an iconic monument of French heritage today? Should they rebuild identically or reinterpret the monument in a contemporary way? How could they reappropriate heritage without distorting it? Speaker Pascal Asselin will share his experiences as someone who took part in the reconstruction project of Norte-Dame, and present to Tai Kwun Conversations’ audiences ideas of how the construction site of the famous cathedral and the many arts and crafts that are practised there can provide answers to other major heritage questions.

Speaker biography: Pascal Asselin is the current president of “UNTEC”, the National Union of Construction Economists. He is a former auditor of historical monuments, civil buildings and national palaces, a position which allowed him to work on the Notre-Dame site soon after the fire. He wrote an economic analysis report on the architectural diagnosis of the reconstruction. As a specialist in the cost and financing of heritage projects, he has also appeared on several occasions in the French media to explain the issues surrounding the reconstruction of Notre-Dame.

Part of the French May Arts Festival.