since paris’ notre dame cathedral was ravaged by a devastating fire earlier this month, more than $1 billion has been pledged to aid restoration efforts — a figure that some say is already enough to pay for the rebuild. now, amsterdam-based design firm studio drift is calling for more donations, but this time in the form of ideas. the call to action, exclusively shared with designboom, would see talents from around the world share their knowledge and skills in order to contribute creatively and collectively to the cathedral’s sustainable repair.

studio drift notre dame
recycled plastic roof tiles would be used to clad the cathedral’s roof

 

 

to kick off the initiative, studio drift has outlined its own proposal, which would see the building’s roof reconstructed using plastic recycled from the ocean. with the help of the non-profit organization the ocean cleanup — nominees of THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 for social impact — the material would be sourced from our seas, thus removing tonnes of harmful waste. the collected plastic would then be melted down and reformed to clad the roof of the church, becoming an international symbol for upscale recycling. the color of the roof tiles relates the sky above, while the material would be resistant to any future fires. by using recycled plastic instead of wood, the studio estimates that thousands of trees would be saved.

studio drift notre dame
the plastic would be sourced from the oceans, removing tonnes of harmful waste

 

 

studio drift founders ralph nauta and lonneke gordijn hope that the open call for ideas will emphasize the importance of rebuilding our world in more sustainable ways. ‘france, please take the lead and donate a large part of your rebuild fund into the ocean cleanup, show the world a beautiful way of building sustainably, and let the notre dame become the monument of the future instead of the past,’ says the duo. you can upload your own ideas and proposals via designboom’s reader submissions platform, where we have already featured a number of proposals.