Les abords de Notre-Dame

Today, for 16% of the time Notre-Dame Cathedral is open, outside temperatures exceed 79 °F, so visitors are forced to line up on the square out front following the direction of the shade as it moves through the day. These figures are only set to rise if we look ahead to the climate anticipated for the period 2050–2100! Tomorrow, Paris’s climate will be the same as Seville today and in a not-so-distant future Morocco, with temperatures above 79 °F up to 36% of the time. Heatwaves will become more frequent, temperatures even higher. Thus, urban and landscape figures are also figures of freshness. To ensure this important Paris landmark continues to attract and welcome visitors in optimal conditions, we are working in partnership with landscape architect Bas Smets to design and build with tomorrow’s climate in mind.

Shade, water, wind, and the color of materials are all keywords in the vocabulary of the Parvis Notre-Dame’s future climate solutions, with assumptions backed by precise mathematical modeling to recommend the best solutions. Beyond the cathedral, a huge and well-ventilated space, interventions draw on the natural resources present (the Seine, the wind, the trees) to create cool microclimate conditions incorporating shade, breeze, and evaporation. Each location has been specifically designed to offer significant enhancement in comfort compared with existing conditions, achieved thanks to an archipelago of climate refuge areas and an 18 °F drop in the Parvis Notre-Dame’s surface temperature. At the periphery, where planting is possible, the volume of greenery will be greatly increased. On the square, which must remain free of obstruction at all times, comfort is provided by water evaporation, a solution that is both as old as time and innovative, with a significant improvement in perceived temperature.