Understanding Notre Dame’s structural history is essential in defining next steps

Robert Bowles BW 2019

The original builders of the Notre Dame in Paris built the structure with an inability to fight a roof fire in medieval times in mind.

The detailed structural engineering implications of the Notre Dame fire cannot be determined yet but at a strategic level I believe there is a good chance that things will turn out to be a lot simpler than the worst predictions currently appearing in the media.  

The original builders delivered a robust, incombustible stone box with a tight-fitting stone lid (the vaulted ceiling). The roof is a separate, relatively light-weight, combustible timber structure supporting lead sheets and gutters to keep the wind and rain out.   

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