France

Inscribed in 2024 (19.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Parisian zinc roofing encompasses the knowledge and skills required to restore the roofs of Haussmann-style buildings constructed in Paris during the nineteenth century. These roofs are characterized by the shape of the attic space and the use of zinc as roofing material. Zinc is a lightweight metal that reduces the size of the roof frame and increases the liveable space under the roofs. The restoration of a roof involves removing the old pieces of zinc, measuring and custom-cutting new pieces using a Parisian folding machine, and assembling and fixing the pieces onto the roof. The ornamentalists work the zinc in their workshops to manufacture windows, replicating or creating ornaments that enhance the beauty of the roof. With nearly 80 per cent of the roofs in Paris covered in zinc, the city is a living archive of these skills that shape the unique identity of its urban landscape. The practice is transmitted through a work-study programme, in which apprentices alternate between theory, practical classes and hands-on experience on construction sites. The pride in preserving the beauty of the Parisian landscape fosters social ties between roofers and ornamentalists. This sense of belonging is manifested in a custom of leaving an object under a piece of roofing when they finish a job, to be found by zinc roofers decades later when they re-roof the building.