France news: Fury erupts as 930-year-old Angers cathedral turned into 'concrete UFO' in 'architectural massacre'
A 930-year-old cathedral in France has sparked fury after its facade was replaced by a massive concrete structure.A 450-tonne concrete gallery has been added to the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Angers - which has been compared to a UFO.The gallery is designed to protect the building's multicoloured sculptures which date back to the 12th and 17th centuries.It is designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in what he described as a "harmonious dialogue" with the "architectural heritage" of the Middle Ages.But Ouset-France, a regional French newspaper, said the gallery looked like a "reinforced concrete UFO", and bristled that locals were unsure if it was an "architectural jewel or a wart"."Opinions vary between perplexity, admiration and, more often, disapproval," the paper added.Tribune Chretienne, a Catholic website, said it was an "architectural massacre".Mr Kuma has said his process involves an "on-site concrete pre-casting process... weaves a thread between past and present, lending the building a quiet contemporaneity rooted in the long continuum of architectural history".The new gallery has been compared to a 'concrete UFO' | KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATESHe won the bid in 2020 with a modern update described as little more than a "pastiche".When the bid was originally won, Valerie Gaudard, the curator of historic monuments at the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, said the gallery would provide the best form of protection.She said: "This project was the one that best met the specifications because it offered a space that was both enclosed and ventilated. A kind of open cover, in a way."And we had demonstrated for 10 years that this form of protection made it possible to guarantee the best preservation of the portal."
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The final build comprises 660 pieces of site-mixed concrete | KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATESThe €5.5million project will be officially unveiled by Catherine Pegard, France's Culture Minister, on Thursday.The multicoloured sculptures were uncovered in 2009, and need to be protected from the elements to preserve their colours - principally in blue, yellow and red.Ms Gaudard has said there are very few examples of sculptures that have retained their colours.Discussing the aging process, she told Liberation newspaper: "A little like a rug left in the sun, it loses its colour."PICTURED: The cathedral, as it looked before the soon-to-be-installed concrete cladding | GETTY'Its primary function is not to look pretty,' Ms Gaudard admitted | KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATESThe sculptures were covered by a porch for centuries, but were damaged by lightning in 1617, and pulled down in 1807.The dioceses defended the design, saying it has "always undergone improvements and expansions, notably in the 12th, 13th, 16th and 19th centuries".Ms Gaudard said the gallery was not primarily there for aesthetic purposes."Its primary function is not to look pretty. Above all, it has a technical function as a climatic buffer," she said.The final build comprises 660 pieces of site-mixed concrete, with Mr Kuma's firm creating a "material tone that harmonises with the stone of the religious building".
