Fear heatwave could cause the ceiling at Notre Dame to collapse
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After the massive fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral five months ago, there are fears that the current heat wave may threaten the ailing building.
Notre Dame’s already weakened structure is being closely monitored, but some parts of the vaults have yet to be consolidated. Experts working to secure the cathedral have been unable to reach them from any direction.
Chief Architect Philippe Villeneuve said that he is very worried about the heat wave because the Cathedral suffered from the fire, with the beams coming down, but also the shock from the water from the firefighters. The masonry is saturated with water.
He added that “What I fear is that the joints or the masonry, as they dry, lose their coherence, their cohesion and their structural qualities and that all of sudden, the vault gives way,” he said.
The vaults have not been accessible since the fire, he added.
Excavators are seen during preliminary work in the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral three months after a major fire in Paris, France. Photos: EPA-EFE/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL
Efforts have been underway to fortify the building since a large part of the roof and the cathedral’s spire was destroyed in a devastating fire on April 15.
“The main danger lies in the combined action of heat and the water currently trapped inside the walls and vaults,” Nikolaos Karydis, who is a senior lecturer and expert in architectural conservation at the University of Kent, explains to artnet News.
