Restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris Embraces Digital Technology, Building Information Modeling

The public establishment dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral has announced an official patronage withAutodesk. Through this patronage, we are contributing design and construction solutions, including Building Information Modeling (BIM) support, an intelligent data and 3D geometric modeling process, and technical expertise. The use of BIM creates a historical digital record for increased resiliency for future events and restoration.

By embracing this innovative digital approach, the public establishment dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is enabling cloud collaboration among stakeholders. Relying on a common data environment to serve as a central repository for all project information, all permitted stakeholders may have access to the latest data and plans.

Data created using reality capture technologies prior to the fire allowed Autodesk to create a 3D BIM model of the Notre-Dame Cathedral as it existed before the catastrophic event. Autodesk then used recent reality capture scans to create 3D models post-fire for comparison. 

Autodesk created 3D digital visualizations depicting the Notre-Dame from multiple angles and sun positioning.

“I warmly thank Autodesk for supporting the rebirth of Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral. Using digital technologies designed for the supervision and management of the restoration site is essential for the public institution. Thanks to Autodesk’s patronage, the use of cutting-edge design and construction technologies and BIM, are being leveraged to help prepare for the reopening of the cathedral, and to once again welcome both pilgrims and visitors,” said the Army General Jean-Louis Georgelin, President of the public establishment dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. 

“We are humbled to participate in the restoration and future preservation of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a truly magnificent architectural wonder of the world. Since the devasting fire two years ago, we have provided funding and technology to support the effort through the FrenchFondation duPatrimoine (Heritage Foundation) and this announcement reinforces our commitment,” said Nicolas Mangon, Autodesk Vice President of Business Strategy for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Design Solutions.