5 facts you didn’t know about the Eiffel Tower
Ranked among the wonders of the world, the Eiffel Tower is a building that attracts millions of visitors every year. This review tells you 5 unusual facts that you may not yet know.
The name of the Eiffel Tower before its inauguration in 1889
The construction of the Eiffel Tower came up against a first challenge that of building materials. Before the industrial period, only stone could support heavy loads inherent to buildings. Granite was more used because of its solidity. But the appearance of metal in the industrial period has overcome this obstacle, because it was possible to use it as a solid building material.
The architects then began by developing new possibilities of construction.
The contractor Gustave Eiffel, will create his own business after having to prove himself in a research firm. The flourishing of his company allowed him to realize many projects, including the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty. He and his collaborators decided to take up the challenge of the 19th century, that of building a 300 m high tower. This project seemed unrealistic in the eyes of the architectural community and the World.
The 300 meter tower was a pyramid with 4 metal stacks that met at the top. The stacks were supported every 50 meters by a plate, so there were 5 of them, smaller and smaller.
Although Gustave Eiffel refused the construction of the Eiffel Tower, he nevertheless encouraged his collaborators (Nouguier and Koechlin) to pursue in-depth studies. The arrival of Stephen Sauvestre brings a great support to the project. The latter, thanks to its knowledge of architecture, revises the design of the Tower by redesigning the plans.
The project then becomes an architect’s project, but also an engineer’s project, this is what motivated Eiffel to reconsider his decision. Sauvestre brought new ideas to the construction. He made changes to the piles of pedestals that are now connected by two platforms.
In addition, he added a 3rd platform, arches and a campanile to ensure the solidity of the base and the aesthetics of the building.