The Notre Dame church in Creteil, originally designed by the architect, Charles Gustave Stoskopf was opened on 18th June 1976, and later became a cathedral in 1987. At the time, Creteil was a city with a population of 60,000 inhabitants and is famous for being one of the very first specifically multicultural urban centres in Europe that was also designed by Stoskopf.
In 2010 a project was launched to redesign the Créteil Cathédrale with the aim of making the building both lighter and more visible, and the new cathedral was opened in 2015.This redesign was required to make the building more visible and to double its seating capacity. The project was entrusted to the architectural firm, Architecture – Studio, who retained the entrance and presbytery from the original structure, but created a dynamic new space for the congregation as well as a new baptismal font. The new cathedral stands out for its spectacular shell-roof that consists of two spherical lamellar wood structures that come together 22 metres above the altar. In the point at which the shells meet there is a stained glass window designed by the artist, Udo Zembok. iGuzzini illuminazione played a major role in this project by providing the technical solutions required to implement the concepts designed by the 8’18’’ lighting design studio.
Express Evo recessed luminaires, for example, have been positioned between the ribs of the ceiling to exploit their sense of movement.
So the dynamic rhythm of the wood and the subtle lighting of the recessed luminaires combine with the distinctive design of the nave roof to create a mood of both monumentality and meditation. The hall is lit by adjustable
Reflex luminaires, whereas
iRound recessed luminaires have been installed in the entrance so as not to disturb the original style created by the architect, Stoskopf. The soaring conical form of the cathedral's free-standing bell tower is lit with Ledtubes.