The debate after Notre Dame – Should “traditional” buildings be updated?

The debate started almost the same day the Notre Dame fire in Paris was brought under control:  Should this great cathedral be rebuilt “as it has always been”?  Or should the fallen spire and fire-ravaged roof be “updated” to integrate more modern elements? Ideas for the restoration have already started to proliferate — here’s an example of one firm’s vision, and you can see several more by following this link.  Predictably, traditionalists push back hard on the idea of putting a greenhouse under a glass roof or creating a new crystal spire for Notre Dame de Paris.  But predictably, too, they ignore some key points in the history of the ancient building:           It has not, […]