Sacré Bleu! A Modern Twist to Notre Dame

A Gables Architect Makes a Bid to Top Off the Cathedral with Something Contemporary

By Kylie Wang

November 2019

When the Notre Dame de Paris burned on April 15, the whole world mourned. But even as grief-stricken Parisians gathered around the smoking ruins of the cathedral, the plans to reconstruct the roof and spire were already being born around the world—including here, on the 10th floor of the Colonnade building on Miracle Mile.

Cooper Copetas, born and raised in Paris, moved here to attend the University of Miami eight years ago. After graduating with a degree in architecture, he worked independently in a boutique partnership focusing on “smart” city design before joining SB Architects in their Gables offices (they are also in San Francisco, and Shenzhen, China). His English is perfect, even when he starts talking excitedly about his plans to redesign the spire at the top of the Notre Dame de Paris.

“The fire was tragic. But it was also an opportunity for the cathedral to have something new built on it,” Copetas says. “What I’m suggesting here is a style that hasn’t been explored in over 100 years, but with a 21st century spin. It’s in one sense an homage to the original creator [but] it’s also spiced with technology.”

As a native Parisian, Copetas has a unique perspective on the plans to reconstruct the cathedral’s roof; he hopes to win the contest the French government has issued to redesign the collapsed areas. His version of the spire uses the exact same proportions of the original but changes the materials. “The [new] spire is glass brick framed by steel. So, different times of day give different levels of transparency.” When the sun is rising or setting, the colors will reflect and refract through the glass, revealing the intricate brickwork beneath. At night, lights placed strategically around the spire will turn it into a gleaming tribute, a “ghost hinting that there was something else once there.”

Copetas has already garnered praise for his work, which was mentioned in TIME magazine. He has been in contact with the French government, and eagerly awaits the chance to debate his design choices.

Many Parisians believe there should be no change to the historic landmark. But others, including “starchitects” like Norman Foster and Copetas himself, believe the fire presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine modernity with classic Parisian architecture – similar to the addition of glass pyramids to the Louvre, designed by I. M. Pei.

“Some people want it stone for stone the same thing. Find me the masons who are able to craft that. The architecture has to be contemporary—it can’t go back in time,” says Copetas. The French government, which announced an international competition to redesign the ancient spire in April, is expected to release initial results in December.