EIFFEL TOWER
Eiffel Tower (French “Tour Eiffel”) is a
Parisian landmark that is also a
technological masterpiece in the building-
construction history.
The French government was organizing
the International Exposition of 1889 to
celebrate the centenary of the French
Revolution, so a competition was held for
designs for a suitable representational
monument. More than 100 plans were
submitted, and the Centennial Committee
accepted that of the famous bridge
engineer Gustave Eiffel.
He was considered to be one of the most relevant innovators of the new iron building technologies: in fact
he had already planned the internal structure of the “Statue of Liberty” in New York.
The site chosen was that of “Champ de Mars”, a wide area in the West suburbs of Paris, where a group of
buildings was about to rise.
According to the chronicles of the time, about 300 metalworkers took part in the construction of the
tower, by assembling more than 18.000 pieces of wrought-iron and using two millions and half rivets.
However, the public opinion was not favourable at all to that strange construction. Eiffel had conceived a
300-metre tower, built almost entirely of open-lattice wrought iron, but his project aroused amazement,
scepticism and opposition for aesthetic reasons. A group of artists and writers even organized a public
protest against the erection of such a “useless and monstrous tower”.
The Tower was a unique building, in fact nothing like that had ever been built: it was twice as high as the
dome of St. Peter's in Rome or the Great Pyramid of Giza. In contrast to such older monuments, the tower
was erected in only about two years (1887- 89), with a small labour force and low building costs.
Eiffel made use of his advanced knowledge of the metal arch and metal truss forms under loading, and
designed a light, airy but strong structure that represented a revolution in civil engineering and
architectural design. When finally it opened to the public on 15 th May 1889, it was also appreciated on the
aesthetic level.
Description and analysis
The Tower is 300 metres high, it rests on a base that is five metres high and there is a modern television
antenna atop which gives it a total elevation of 324 metres. Its structure is divided by three platforms (at
57, 115 and 274 metres), which are open to the public; each of them hosts a viewing platform for tourists.
The platforms have the double function of making the tower stable and of defining its profile. Eiffel
planned the outline of the tower, so as to contrast the power of wind.
The Tower stands on four lattice-girder piers that taper inward and join to form a single large vertical
tower. As they curve inward, the piers are connected to each other by networks of girders at two levels. By
contrast, the four semicircular arches at the base are purely aesthetic elements, which have no structural
function.
Because of their unique shape, the piers required lifts which could ascend on a curve. The special glass-
cage elevators were designed and supplied by the Otis Elevator Company of the United States, and
became one of the main features of the building, making the Tower become one of the world's premier
tourist attractions.
Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years. It was to be dismantled at the closing of the Expo,
but its creator claimed that it could be used for meteorological observations and, above all, for
communication purposes. In 1898, in fact, the first successful experiments of wireless telegraphy were
made from the tower.
The tower was conceived as a huge element of urban furnishing and as a proof of how advanced the
French engineering techniques had become. For all these reasons, it was left where it is now.
It was the tallest structure in the world for 40 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York was completed
in 1929. In the course of time the Tower has become the real symbol of Paris and of France, and it can be
seen from every suburb of Paris. Today, it is widely considered to be a remarkable piece of structural art,
and is often featured in films and literature.
Key-words
Landmark = punto di riferimento;
Metalworkers= operai metallurgici;
Wrought-iron= ferro lavorato/battuto;
Rivets= rivetti/chiodi;
Open-lattice= traliccio a vista;
Labour force= forza lavoro;
Metal truss forms= capriate in metallo;
Loading= carico;
Viewing platform= belvedere;
Girders= travi;
Lattice-girder piers= piloni di travi del traliccio;
To taper= assottigliarsi/ rastremarsi;
Permit= permesso/ concessione.
