Crazy proposal for swimming pool to be added to Notre Dame Cathedral

Architects across the world are submitting design proposals for rebuilding Notre Dame, but there is one that is causing a bit of controversy.

As restorations for Notre Dame prepare to get under way, architects from around the world have started making design suggestions for the famous Paris cathedral.

One of the most bizarre proposals has come from Ulf Mejergren Architects (UMA), who have suggested a rooftop public pool be installed instead of rebuilding the original roof.

The wooden roof was largely destroyed in the April 15 blaze and will be a major challenge when rebuilding the iconic building.

A photo depicting what the pool would look like shows it would be in the shape of a huge cross.

The swimming pool would be a ‘space for thinking and self-reflection’. Picture: Ulf Mejergren Architects

“Our addition is a complementary spatial experience to the building that will match the awe of the great interior; a space for thinking and self-reflection,” UMA said of its design.

“The spire is gone, but the twelve statues of the apostles that where put away during the restoration and managed to escape the fire, are once again back at the roof, now as guardians around a large public pool that occupies the whole roof.”

The unique suggestion hasn’t gone down too well with some members of the public.

“Rooftop swimming pool? Is Notre Dame a church or a resort? Outrageous,” one social media user said.

“Idiots the sheer weight of the pool would sink the structure,” another said.

One asked: “Is this a belated April fools joke?”

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A protective net has been placed in the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral during preliminary work. Picture: Philippe Lopez/POOL/AFP

A worker stands on scaffolding near damages and rubble. Picture: Philippe Lopez/AFP

But the public should not worry. It seems the main aim of the design is to draw attention to the fact that the cathedral is a public space.

The designs have not yet been submitted to the French government for consideration.

“A cathedral is in our opinion not an isolated island in the urban fabric, it belongs to the city and to the people,” UMA said.

This ultra-modern design isn’t the only controversy surrounding the cathedral’s restoration.

On Friday the French government passed a law for restoring Notre Dame in just five years.

Days after the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron set a target for the restoration to be finished within five years, meaning it should be ready by the time Paris hosts the Olympics in 2024.

A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed cathedral on April 15. Picture: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP

But the legislation, aimed at speeding up the construction process, sparked controversy because it would involve removing some of the red tape protecting the ancient structure

After thirteen hours of debate, the bill was adopted by 32 votes in favour, five against and 10 abstentions. It will now be forwarded to the Senate for further scrutiny scheduled for May 27.

As the session opened, Culture Minister Franck Riester told MPs that although five years was “an ambitious time frame” for renovating Notre Dame, which took 200 years to build, the project would “not be done in haste”.

“Yes, we want to move quickly. Some have accused us of wanting to move too quickly but the outpouring of generosity was very fast so we can and must respond, which is what we are doing,” he said.

The fire destroyed the roof and steeple of the 850-year-old Gothic cathedral. Picture Philippe Lopez/AFP

So far, nearly one billion euros ($A1.6 billion) has been donated or pledged for Notre-Dame, with Riester pledging that the funds will go “entirely and exclusively” to its restoration.

Experts believe the total bill will come to between 600-700 million euros ($A970m to $A1.1b), with some raising questions over what will be done with any leftover money, suggesting it could be channelled to other crumbling churches and cathedrals.

France’s Observatory for Religious Heritage (OPR) says there are between 40,000 and 60,000 churches and chapels in France, 5000 of which are in a state of dilapidation.