Construction de la Tour Eiffel

Pedestal Foundations



After years of waiting approval for construction Gustave Eiffel was given the green light to commence the work on January 28, 1887. People around France, have submitted over 300 graphic proposals, but only 1 has been selected, I can remember this from a history channel documentary. A triangular iron-lattice design was approved by Maurice Koechlin, Emile Nougier, and Stephen Silvestre all architects and engineers. The construction site was on the Champ-de-Mars near the Seine River. This project will mark the pinnacle of Gustave's career after three decades on experimental research.



Lifts on the Eiffel Tower

The material used is iron and metal which will be manufactured in a Levallois-Perret factory, 18,000 iron plates and 2.5 million rivets will stabilize Eiffel's dream. The very first phase of construction was the laying the concrete foundations of pedestals which will hold the tower columns together. All four columns will touch or meet each other at the top, and the tower has been laid to represent the geographical points of a compass. I looked at the Eiffel Tower on a map, and the ticketing offices named after compass points like "Pier Sud/South". The tower will have three sections or floors which have its own purposes such as public restaurants or media antennas, it has also been proven strong against nature's elements such as wind. Only 300 men worked to build the Eiffel Tower and they faced their challenges, but the workers have been paid fairly. Working teams consisted of four men with the jobs of apprentice, holders, and riveters. During winter weather, the workers paused the riveting process as time for maintenance.

Installing Lights

I was so surprised at the meager number of workers is because of Gustave's concerns for workplace safety because of the use of riveting, hydraulic equipment, cranes, scaffoldings, and guard rails. One worker will lose his life building the Parisian structure. The overall exterior design is based on metal framework crossing lines and consists of 40 gallons of paint, in its lifetime the Eiffel Tower has been repainted 18 times. It is mandatory that the Eiffel Tower will have a new coat of paint every 7 years to avoid corrosion and rust. Its interesting to learn that the monument will be one of the first in the world to have inclined elevators and they will have two sections, because the elevator going to the third floor will be usually vertical. There are large supplies of ropes and chains to propel the elevators on the tracks. Completion of the tower in 1889 earned dignity from press members, French government officials considered to be a engineering marvel at the time, but faced scrutiny from Parisians.

The Eiffel Tower in construction, nearing completion of the Second Floor

Images Retrieved:

Eiffel Tower. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

 

 



Construction of the Eiffel Tower. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2015, from http://webodysseum.com/art/construction-of-the-eiffel-tower/

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671154/travel-back-in-time-and-take-a-virtual-3-d-tour-of-paris-through-the-ages