France The roof of Notre Dame Cathedral, destroyed in the fire, is about to be restored to its original state using hundreds of years of hand-carved wooden beams.
Wooden frame of the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo: New York Times
Engineers and craftsmen are working tirelessly to rebuild the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral, which was completely destroyed in the fire. They are using medieval techniques to accurately restore the roof to its original state. According to Peter Henrikson, one of the carpenters, using hand axes to assemble oak beams to create a precise wooden frame is very difficult for today's construction workers, Interesting Engineering reported on June 1.
The authorities decided to use medieval techniques despite the availability of many modern technological solutions in order to commemorate the excellent craftsmanship of the original cathedral builders and ensure the preservation of the centuries-old art of woodworking.
Carpenters and engineers have been given a December 2024 deadline to restore the cathedral’s roof. They are also using computer models to speed up the rebuilding process. Computers help carpenters create detailed drawings. This is especially useful for ensuring the hand-hewn beams fit together perfectly.
The construction team reached a milestone in May 2023 after assembling the wooden frame at a workshop in the Loire Valley in western France. The architects also tested the fit of the frame. The structure is now ready to be installed on top of the cathedral. A total of 1,200 trees were felled to create the frame. "Our goal is to restore the wooden frame structure that was lost in the fire of April 15, 2019, to its original state," said architect Remi Fromont. "The rebuilt frame is the same structure as the 13th-century wooden frame. We used the same oak wood and axes as tools."
In April 2019, a massive fire of unknown origin destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral. The 32-meter-high cathedral was one of the tallest structures of the 12th century. Last year, researchers discovered iron clamps used during the original construction of the cathedral, which helped secure the stone columns. The discovery revealed that Notre Dame could be the oldest church in the world to use iron reinforcement.
An Khang (According to Interesting Engineering )
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