The application for Paris zinc roof craftsmanship to be included in the intangible cultural heritage list has drawn attention

The iconic gray-blue roofs of Paris have always been impressive. They are made of zinc. On September 1, 2024, France 24 News reported that the French Ministry of Culture wants to include Paris's unique zinc roof construction craftsmanship in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. At the meeting held in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay in December this year, this craftsmanship will compete with more than 60 cultural heritages from around the world.

Zinc roofs are one of the iconic features of Paris. They are usually light gray, and over time, an oxide layer forms on the surface and turns gray-blue. Paris has about 128,000 roofs, of which 21.4 million square meters are traditional zinc-covered roofs. Zinc roofs can be traced back to the large-scale urban renovation plan in the mid-19th century. At that time, under the background of the Industrial Revolution, zinc was widely used in various buildings due to its low price, light weight, waterproof nature, ease of installation and cutting, and it can be bent at will.

However, today zinc roofs face controversies and difficulties. On the one hand, there is a serious shortage of skilled workers for building zinc roofs in France. On the other hand, zinc roofs have poor thermal insulation performance and insufficient reflection of sunlight. In high temperatures in summer, roof attics easily turn into "saunas", making students or low-income people living there suffer. Against the background of global warming, Parisian roofs need more renovations to adapt to climate change rather than remaining the same. Nevertheless, the French Ministry of Culture is still actively promoting the application for zinc roof construction craftsmanship to be included in the intangible cultural heritage list, hoping that this unique cultural heritage can be better protected and inherited.