Notre Dame: the structure is weakened and can give way to winds of 90 km / h

The structure of the

Notre-Dame cathedral,

devastated by a fire on April 15, it could yield to winds of 90 km / h, its resistance dropped by 60% after the incident, said a specialist.

Paolo Vanucci, professor at the University of Versailles, one of the leading experts of the Cathedral and author, in 2016, a report on fire hazards in the famous church, has badured that the structure of the temple would be changed.

"We are measuring a 60% decrease in wind resistance," Vanucci told the French press, noting that "a part no longer exists, the roof and part of the vault are gone" .

According to the calculations of the engineer,
Before the fire, the cathedral had a critical wind resistance threshold of 222 km / h, but this threshold was reduced to 90 km / h.

Vannucci does not exclude that a "violent storm could, in the present conditions, cause the collapse of a part of the clerestorio", that is to say the upper row of the walls of the ship adorned with windows.

Controversy over reconstruction times

While the government is preparing to introduce a controversial bill to restore it in five years, controversy is growing. The text, which will be given to MPs in early May, worries about the reason it introduces
a series of unpublished derogations from obligations in the area of ​​public procurement and heritage protection in order to "streamline" the execution of works.

The goal: that the cathedral, which has lost part of its roof and its iconic needle, is like new by 2024, the deadline set by President Emmanuel Macron and the year when Paris will host the Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, dozens of workers rushed for a few days to cover the cathedral to protect it from rain and water leaks that could damage the building and the works of art still present in the city. # 39; inside.

This coverage would only be temporary. In the coming weeks, a huge "umbrella", more resistant, will be deployed. It would remain for the duration of the reconstruction work of the Gothic cathedral, more than 850 years old.

Several paintings exposed in the nave of the cathedral and which were not damaged by the fire were transferred to the Louvre Museum, where they will be preserved during the restoration work of the cathedral.

Even though eleven days have pbaded since the devastating fire,
We still do not know what caused it. Early indications show that the fire was born accidentally, probably by a short circuit, but the experts must thoroughly study all the charred remains in search of tests to determine exactly the causes.

Tradition or innovation?

The five-year period to rebuild Notre Dame, whose construction took 200 years, divides the experts.

According to several architects, the phase that will precede the works will be the longest and the most complex: cleaning and restoration of the monument, research of the causes of the accident, consolidation of the most fragile parts, offers. The technology will then allow rapid progress in reconstruction.

Added to this is the international competition launched by the government to rebuild the iconic 93 meter needle that collapsed during the first 90 minutes of the fire.

Its reconstruction unleashes the pbadions between supporters to keep it and those who prefer to innovate.

At the present time, few architects have spoken, although Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who built the Russian Orthodox Church in Paris, offers a glbad needle that visually meets the pyramid of the

Louvre.

Other projects appear on the internet, such as that of the Godart + Roussel office in Dijon, which offers a glbad cover in which tourists could stroll to enjoy an unobstructed view of Paris.

1000 million euros in donations

Another controversy arose before the dizzying affluence of donations to rebuild this cultural and artistic referent at the world level.

Large French companies, but also individuals, have released their checkbooks to finance the renewal of Notre Dame. Up to now, nearly 1,000 million euros have been collected in the form of donations.

This sum, according to several estimates, would exceed the financing needs, estimated between 600 and 700 million euros.

This has led to the rise of some voices denouncing selective generosity. "Why not redistribute what's left between other cathedrals and churches in danger?", Ask a lot.

With information from AFP and Telam agencies.