The architect Henri Deneux was in charge of rebuilding the framework of Reims Cathedral, which disappeared in the great fire of 1914. To rebuild it in oak was to expose the monument to the same hazard. Deneux thus worked from an idea established in the 16th century by Philibert Delorme, who praised the use of small pieces of wood assembled like a puzzle. He adapted it by using reinforced concrete instead of wood and manufactured 18,000 parts in his workshops. The whole process of creating and putting together the cathedral's new framework took two years.