How a digital tool brought Notre-Dame back to life in record time

Trial and error could take place on a computer, not at the construction site.
By Teodosia Dobriyanova  on 
Against a blue grid background,  3D digital twin of Notre-Dame is placed next to an image of the completed building
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When in spring 2019 a fire nearly destroyed Notre-Dame, one of Paris' most recognizable landmarks, president Emmanuel Macron vowed to restore the building and reopen it to the public by 2024, the year Paris would host the Olympics. Though the cathedral wasn't completed in time for the athletic competitions, it still opened its doors in December 2024, meeting an ambitious deadline.

At the centre of the effort was a cutting-edge software donated by U.S. tech company Autodesk, which the reconstruction team used to digitally map the Notre-Dame, and carefully plan each step of the rebuilding process.

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Teodosia Dobriyanova
Video Producer

Teodosia is a video producer at Mashable UK, focussing on stories about climate resilience, urban development, and social good.


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