The Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine in Paris offered visitors a singular experience from January to June 2024: the chance to enter Notre-Dame de Paris at full scale without setting foot inside the still-restricted construction site. Titled Notre-Dame de Paris 1/1, le jumeau virtuel — The Virtual Twin — the experience was hosted in the Téléport l'Exaltemps, a dedicated space for digital experimentation and mediation within the museum at the Trocadéro.
The experience was developed through a collaboration between Dassault Systèmes, who designed the Téléport l'Exaltemps and contributed simulation technology, and the CNRS scientific mission for Notre-Dame. The French Ministry of Culture and the public establishment responsible for the cathedral's conservation and restoration also participated. Using 3D digital scans captured at multiple points in the cathedral's history, the project created an immersive virtual reconstruction allowing users to experience Notre-Dame's architecture at a one-to-one ratio.
Sessions were conducted in small groups of up to six people, led by a guide, and lasted approximately one hour. The experience was available on Thursdays and Saturdays in French, priced at €32 per person. Equipment was sanitized between sessions using a UV-C decontamination system. The experience was restricted to visitors aged 12 and over.