Parvis de Notre-Dame

The Parvis de Notre-Dame exhibition, presented in 2022 at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal, showcases the four redevelopment proposals for the area surrounding the cathedral. Alongside the restoration of the cathedral, the City of Paris began a reflection to reimagine the Parvis de Notre-Dame. The challenge is twofold: to reconnect the monument to the city and the Seine, and to provide a dignified welcome for the 12 million visitors it receives each year.

To ensure the best possible outcome, an international competition was launched in the form of a “competitive dialogue,” which our team won.

The winning team is made up of the lead and landscape architects Bureau Bas Smets; the urban architects GRAU; the heritage architects Neufville - Gayet; the multidisciplinary engineers Ingérop; Atelier Franck Boutté for environmental engineering; Les Éclaireurs for lighting design; BDL Waterdesign for fountain design; and Cronos Conseil as safety and security experts.

At the Atelier, we approached the project based on precise mathematical modeling. Each space was treated specifically:

• On the south bank, enhanced vegetation masses cool the river breeze and create shaded layers.

• On the forecourt, which had to remain open to the sky and views, comfort is provided by a thin film of water responding to weather conditions.

• Along rue du Cloître, newly planted trees provide shade at the entrance to the Hôtel-Dieu and cool visitors before they discover the cathedral.

The proposed developments offer a significant improvement in comfort compared to the existing situation, creating an archipelago of climate refuge areas and reducing surface temperatures on the forecourt by up to 10°C.

“It’s not just about halting disruptions, but about adapting to them,” explains Franck Boutté, who worked on transforming what he presented to the jury as a “microclimatic forecourt.” “Paris will have the climate of Seville by 2050, and of Tangier by 2100. It is essential to adapt the city to these future conditions. Why not start with this site?”