Scientific news

Notre-Dame, a divine research site

In 2019, we watched in horror as Notre-Dame burned. A tragedy, but also an opportunity to examine in detail a building with many secrets.

3D restitution of the missing frameworks on the 3D point cloud of the south side of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral
3D restitution of the missing frameworks on the 3D point cloud of the south side of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

© V. Abergel / K. Jacquot / MAP / Vassar College / AGP / GEA / Chantier scientifique Notre-Dame de Paris / Ministère de la culture / CNRS

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It was in 2019, but the images are seared in our minds as if it was yesterday. The first flames, the thick smoke, the inferno and Viollet-le-Duc's spire collapsing before the stunned gaze of the whole world. No one would have imagined that Notre-Dame de Paris, the most visited monument in the world and the gem at the heart of the capital since the 12th century, would burn so quickly.

In addition to the issues related to its restoration (the reopening has been announced for December 2024), the tragedy has paradoxically become a great opportunity for scientists from various fields, who have never had this kind of access to the monument. This is how an extremely ambitious scientific project involving more than fifty research teams has risen from the ruins, working on the wood, stone, acoustics, digitisation of the cathedral, etc. In the long term this will give us a better understanding of what makes this unique building so special.

On this tragic anniversary, we invite you to enter the gates of Notre-Dame through the middle of a forest of scaffolding, in the company of the scientists who have been studying it in great detail for the last two years.

Films (only in French or German) to watch in replay on Arte.tv

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How can Notre-Dame's stone, woodworks and stained glass be restored in the best possible manner? A large scientific collaboration bringing together more than 50 research teams has begun to study the iconic cathedral damaged by fire a year ago. A digital data team has also joined forces to create a digital backup of the edifice and develop tools that will collect all available information about it.

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Notre-Dame: Building a Digital Monument
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Le travail d'annotation 3D réalisé par le groupe de travail Données numériques du Chantier scientifique Notre-Dame de Paris (CNRS/MC) s'appuie sur Aïoli, une plateforme d'annotation sémantique 3D développée par le laboratoire MAP. Ce travail a été réalisé en collaboration avec des membres des différents groupes de travail du Chantier scientifique. La plateforme Aïoli a permis de construire des scènes en 3D permettant de spatialiser et mettre en relation les résultats des études…

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Annotation 3D collaborative du double numérique de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris intégrant les données du chantier…
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Le constat d'état numérique réalisé par le groupe de travail “Données numériques” du Chantier scientifique Notre-Dame de Paris (CNRS/MC) s'appuie sur Aïoli, une plateforme d'annotation sémantique 3D développée par le laboratoire MAP. Cette transcription numérique a été réalisée d'après le constat d'état produit par les architectes en chef des monuments historiques, et des laboratoires d'étude sur les matériaux répertoriant les dégradations subies par la cathédrale après l'incendie du 15…

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Construction d'un constat d'état numérique spatialisé de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris avec la plateforme Aïoli (La)
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La réalité virtuelle se met au service de la science. La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris a été entièrement numérisée par les chercheurs du CNRS, qui peuvent désormais s'immerger dans le double virtuel de l'édifice. A la Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, à Paris, les scientifiques accèdent à des matériaux désormais détruits ou à des parties inaccessibles de la cathédrale.

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Notre-Dame de Paris et son double virtuel
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Two years after the fire of 15 April 2019, Notre-Dame will be the venue of a huge scientific investigation to uncover the cathedral's secrets and to help restore it. In this film, discover how researchers are drawing information from stone and iron to understand how the original builders constructed a cathedral that was much taller than its contemporaries. The ""iron"" team is focused on the remains of the upper part of the cathedral and the nails of the roof frame, using…

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Notre-Dame de Paris: a vessel of stone and iron
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A series of 17 videos created by the teams from the ""Digital Data"" working group of the Notre-Dame de Paris scientific site (Ministry of Culture/CNRS) which was formed following the fire on 15 April 2019. The aim is to build a ""digital ecosystem"" of the cathedral that provides useful information for the restoration work as well as updating the knowledge of the building. It involves teams from around fifty laboratories throughout France. …

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Chantier scientifique de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Le)
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On the occasion of the 2019 CNRS Medal for Innovation award, we look back at the career of Livio de Luca, a researcher in the digitisation of cultural heritage. Originally trained as an architect, then obtaining a degree in Arts and Crafts and Computer Science, Livio de Luca defines himself as a researcher in the digitisation of cultural heritage. Now director of the Models and Simulations for Architecture and Heritage laboratory (CNRS/Ministry of Culture), this CNRS researcher began his work…

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Livio de Luca, lauréat de la Médaille de l'innovation 2019

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