Archlosophy

Published on Archlosophy on 17 October 2025.

Introduction

I bought the Lego Notre Dame set sometime towards the end of December 2024. There was a nationwide promotion event for selected sets during the festive season, and I was lucky to have purchased the Notre Dame set at a 20% discount. I’d like to share my experience and thoughts on building this stunning and mesmerising set, and encourage you to indulge in building one for yourself, ideally acquired at a discounted rate!

A Piece of Heritage

Built in the 13th Century, Notre Dame was designed by Jehan de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. Then in the 19th century, Viollet-le-Duc became the architect who restored the cathedral and added the iconic spire we see today. The Lego Notre Dame set was released in June 2024, approximately five years after the catastrophic fire of April 2019, which caused extensive damage to the cathedral’s roof and façade. To this date, the exact cause of the fire is unknown, although investigations have ruled out arson. The probable cause would be an electrical fault that damaged the wiring from the scaffolding, or an accidental cigarette left by workers during maintenance works. The cathedral was reopened in early December 2024 after years of painstaking restoration efforts.

The introduction of this set was timely, and I suppose it was meant to be a memento and a reminder of Notre Dame’s incredible history, but it also leaves room to dream about its future. 

Of Smoke and Fire

When the news of the fire broke out on the internet, many architects came forward with their proposals and visions of what the new cathedral would look like, exercising their creativity and having a go at designing. The ideas ranged from beautifully expensive, like a glass canopy, to somewhat impractical, like a greenhouse and a commemorative park, to downright ridiculous, for the roof converted into an open-air swimming pool. These proposals could have been for clout or publicity, but we certainly appreciate the interest the cathedral got after the fire and the willingness of designers to contribute something to the discussion. In the end, the French government decided that Notre Dame would be restored to the way it originally was. 

I’ve seen images of the cathedral’s ceiling being turned from black to white. Centuries of accumulated soot from candles inside the cathedral have turned the joints and vault ribs dark. The deep clean following the fire has restored the ceiling back to its original, intended condition, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. The fire was unfortunate, yes. But we take comfort in knowing that no one was injured, and that all important artefacts survived the fire. Without the fire, we never would have known the original beauty of the cathedral’s interiors. You now see the Lutetian limestone in its full glory, after centuries quietly hidden beneath prayers and soot.

Rebuilding History

The Notre Dame Lego set was designed by Rok Žgalin Kobe. Many Lego Architecture builds are intended to be displayed and admired, with many sets focusing on the exterior façade and its aesthetic appeal. As such, many sets rely on filler pieces to ‘bulk up’ the massing before the façade is dressed around. Think of it like ordering a chocolate cake- but it’s a sponge cake with chocolate icing coated around the cake, instead of a chocolate-infused layer with every bite. That’s filler pieces. And there are no filler pieces or elements in the Notre Dame set. The way to build Notre Dame is abstracted and scaled down in the Lego variant. Still, you can see its interior spaces and structure working together harmoniously.

The Notre Dame set takes a step further by infusing history into the building process. The build process unfolds in stages, taking you through the cathedral’s construction in chronological order. Factoids are written in the instruction manual, making the building process even more enjoyable as you build your way through its history. People who have never visited Notre Dame before (like me) could experience and enjoy some semblance of its grandeur. I do intend to visit it one day, that’s for sure. 

To see the step-by-step build transformation of the set, I recommend reading this article on the Brick Architect website: https://brickarchitect.com/2024/review-21061-notre-dame-lego-architecture/. Tom has done an incredible job documenting the build process in a clear and concise manner. If you’d like to see the full build process and breakdown of parts, I strongly recommend that website. This set is retiring at the end of 2027, so get it while you still can! 

Changing Perceptions of Heritage

If you go around and ask architecture students how many of them are interested in a career in heritage architecture or heritage preservation, chances are that not many would be keen on taking up that offer. After all, who wouldn’t want to design public buildings and private residences that can leave your mark on the world? These are traces of egotism that breed in architecture schools; it was more prevalent in the past than today. I hope it improves, and one day we can eliminate it entirely.

I must admit that I was in that camp until I finished building this set. Was it really that transformative? Perhaps. It made me relook at what heritage could be. At the current rate of construction, many of these buildings will still be standing when today’s students enter the workforce. We’ll be dealing with the existing building stock that is ageing and nearing the end of its lifespan in 20-30 years. It’s become less of a question of preference and one of necessity. 

It really was delightful building this set. Building up the cathedral and taking the time to appreciate its deep history behind every brick. This is perhaps my most memorable Lego build yet, completely changing my perceptions of heritage and restorative architecture. Once seen as boring or uninspiring, I now view it as increasingly necessary and a vital part of our human history and shared consciousness. The sooner we students recognise this, the easier the transition becomes. Fun fact- one of the statues on its roof, Saint Thomas, who is the patron saint of architecture, has Viollet-le-Duc’s face modelled after because of how similar they looked. That statue faces the spire that Violet le Duc had designed, as if to admire his very own addition to the cathedral’s history. I think that’s quite poetic, really. There is pride in being part of a historical building’s restorative story. You may not be the architect responsible for constructing the building, but you’ll be one of many preserving its story for future generations. The Notre Dame Cathedral’s fire may have been extinguished, but may its flaming spirit of aspiration be carried on into the future.

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