Paris is undergoing a wave of architectural preservation and renovation that prioritizes the "à l’identique" (identical) approach, most notably seen in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral following its 2019 fire. This trend extends to other major cultural landmarks, including the renovation of the Bourse de Commerce by Tadao Ando and the upcoming multi-year closure of the Centre Pompidou for technical upgrades. The author uses the critical lens of 19th-century writer Joris-Karl Huysmans to question whether this obsession with restoring buildings to a previous state stifles contemporary architectural evolution.
This debate matters because it highlights a tension between heritage conservation and the creative vitality of modern cities. By choosing to rebuild exactly as-is rather than allowing for new architectural forms or embracing the "ruin" as a historical layer, Paris risks becoming a static museum of its own past. The article suggests that the current political and public consensus for identical renovation reflects a neoclassical impulse that may be at odds with the true spirit of the original Gothic or avant-garde structures it seeks to save.