Starting today, the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture and Planning in collaboration with Massachusetts-based nonprofit Handhouse Studio are building a full-scale replica of a truss that belonged to the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. 

As part of a teaching project by Handhouse Studio, which is setting up education workshops in Washington D.C., the approximately 45-foot by 35-foot structure, labeled as Truss #6, will be built outdoors at The Catholic University’s campus in a 10-day workshop. The construction process will be available for public viewing. 

A team of traditional timber framers, carpenters, faculty, and students from across the United States will use the methods and materials of the original medieval builders. The reconstruction is intended to be a gift to France and the collective effort to rebuild Notre Dame following the 2019 fire that destroyed the cathedral’s roof and spire. 

"We study architectural history through drawings, photographs, and on-site observations, but to study an important work of architecture by reconstructing it dramatically expands one's appreciation for the building and the people who created it,” said Mark Ferguson, dean of Catholic University’s School of Architecture and Planning. “Truss #6 will bring people together from all walks of life to experience the joy and hard work of crafting a beautiful building.”

For the truss, the team harvested 20 oak trees near Lexington, Virginia that are similar to the “forest” of more than 1,300 trees that comprised Notre Dame’s original roof. A crane was used to get the logs onto the campus and unload them. They will be hewn and shaped using hand tools similar to those used centuries ago, such as the broad axe. 

Following its construction, the truss will rise more than three stories high on the Catholic University’s campus. It will be hand-raised again during a one-day event on the National Mall and shortly after be installed in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall for an exhibition. 

“The loss of the roof during the 2019 fire at Notre Dame was devastating, complete, and more than simply material,” said Tonya Ohnstad, associate dean of graduate studies and instructor of a summer course on historic building methods that will take place in conjunction with the workshop. “It destroyed a forest of trees, generations of building technology, and an unimaginable amount of human spirit and energy embodied in the timber structure. What an incredible opportunity to be able to be part of the reconstruction, demonstration, and passing on of tectonic knowledge.”