The history and construction of Eiffel Tower

1. The Eiffel Tower
A Dame de Fer, "the Iron Lady."

2. TableofContents
1. History
2. Lead Engineers
3. Key Events
4. criticism
5. Schedule
6. Design
7. Workshop
8. Worksite
9. Construction

3. History
The Eiffel tower was built by
Gustave Eiffel’s engineering firm.
Gustave, Maurice and Emile came
with the original design of the
tower, for the purpose of
submitting the plans to a contest
that would determine the
centerpiece of the 1889 World’s
Fair in Paris which also marked
the 100th anniversary of the
French Revolution.

4. LeadEngineers
Emile Nouguier
(1840 – 1897)
French civil engineer
and architect
Gustave Eiffel
(1832 – 1923)
French civil engineer
and architect
Maurice Koechlin
(1856 – 1946)
Structural engineer
(Structurae, n.d.)(trako.arch.rwth-aachen.de, n.d.)

5. KeyEvents ● Main attraction of the Paris World’s Fair
in 1889.
● First 300 meter Tower.
● Held the title “The world’s tallest man-
made structure” for 41 years.
● The most visited paid-for monument in
the world.
● The tower comprises 18,000 metallic
parts, joined together by 2.5 million
rivets.
● Multiple entries in Guinness world
record
(Smith, 2018)

9. 250,000,000
People visited since the opening of the tower

10. criticism
Capability
Doubts of the tower
reaching 300m
using heavy metal
Perception
Artists protested
against building
Eiffel Tower
Health and Safety
Compromising the
safety of workers
on such high tower
(La Tour Eiffel, 2019)

11. Originally intended as a temporary
structure, the Eiffel Tower was going to
be demolished after 20 years. But in
1909, the decision was made to keep
the tower, as it had become a useful
radio antenna. This helped during World
War I, as the tower was used to send
vital orders to French troops while its
transmitters successfully jammed
German communications.
The Eiffel Tower was a strategic player
during World War II as well.

12. Gustave Eiffel specified the Tower’s
purpose to be for meteorological and
astronomical observations, physics
experiments, a strategic vantage point, an
optical telegraph communications point, a
beacon for electric lighting and wind
studies.
Gustave Eiffel stated, “It will be for
everyone an observatory and a laboratory
the likes of which has never before been
available to science. It is the reason why,
from day one, all of our scientists have
encouraged me with their utmost
sympathies.

13. MAINTAINING THE EIFFEL
66 Tons
Of lead-free paint
35 Miles
Of climbing rope
25 Painters
18 Months of painting

14. Schedule
Phase 1 Phase 3
Phase 2 Phase 4
Workshops Construction
Design Worksite

15. Design
• Emile and Maurice idea of
a very tall tower in 1884.
• Gustave Eiffel supporting
Emile and Maurice idea.
• Material choice.
• Vertical and wind forces.
• Hiring architect Stephen
Sauvestre to work on the
appearance of the tower.

16. (Branch, 2012)

17. (Branch, 2012)

18. All buildings until the mid-nineteenth century are stone or
masonry. But Eiffel tower is 300 meters high, and masonry
is heavy, so at a height of 300 meters, the foundation wont
be able to support the upper part, and eventually the
structure will fracture.
Cast iron couldn’t be used, it had good resistance for
compression, but it wasn’t flexible like stretching steel, and
steel couldn’t be used because the tower would wobbly
uncomfortably.
Puddled iron was finally chosen to be used to build the
tower, because of its resistance and flexibility.

21. Workshops
• All parts prepared at
Levallois-Perret factory
• 18,038 Metallic parts
• 5,300 Workshop
designs
• 150 Workers
• 2,500,000 Rivets
• 7,300 Tonnes of iron.
(toureiffel, 2017)

22. (Noguès, 2013)

24. Worksite
• Modest steam cranes
• Hydraulic supports
• Stopping pylon
• Sandbags
• 150 workers
• 1 accident

25. ● Modest steam cranes
● Between 150 and 300 well-supervised
workers were enough to assemble all
the metal parts.
● Stopping pylons are pyramid looking
scaffolds that supported the pillars
before they were connected.
● Sandbags were placed between the
pylons and iron structure.
● Angelo Scagliotti’s death.

28. Hydraulic jacks were
under the different legs
of the tower, they were
used to lower or raise
each side to make sure
that all 4 crossbow legs
meet at the same
horizontal level at the
first floor.

29. Angelo Scagliotti’s slipped and fell to his death
after working hours. Which was the reason for
the death not to be counted as a work related
incident.

30. Construction
• Ground investigation
• Foundation
• Metal work erection
• 1nd floor
• 2nd floor
• Upper Level
• The Top

31. Construction
(Noguès, 2013)(Zhang, 2018)

32. Foundation
(Noguès, 2013)(Zhang, 2018)

33. North and West
Pillars
Land close to
river consists of
soft and mucky
soil. Not
suitable for a
massive tower.
South and East
Pillars
Soil further from
the river side,
made of sand and
gravel, its firm and
suitable for a
massive tower.

34. South and East Pillars
Soil further from the river side, made
of sand and gravel, its firm and
suitable for a massive tower.
Concrete foundations installed a few
meters below ground-level on top of
a layer of compacted gravel
(Noguès, 2013)

35. North and West Pillars
Land close to river consists of soft
and mucky soil. Not suitable for a
massive tower.
On the river side of the construction,
the builders used watertight metal
caissons and injected compressed air,
so that they were able to work below
the level of the water
(Noguès, 2013)

36. Metalworkerection
(Noguès, 2013)(Zhang, 2018)

37. 1st&2ndfloor
(Noguès, 2013)(Zhang, 2018)

38. Upper Level
(Noguès, 2013)(Zhang, 2018)

39. Personal Goals
With the knowledge I gained from researching
about the Eiffel Tower, my interests in
structural engineering and on-site working
were widened. I have developed an interest in
managing and planning of design and
construction. I would say my personal goal is
to become a project manager.

40. Made by Deyaa Adi

41. Reference

42. Reference
• The Biggest Meccano Set in the World. (2009). New Scientist, 204(2736), pp.65–66.
• Noguès, O. (2013). Construction of the Eiffel tower. [online] Wonders-of-the-world.net. Available at:
https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Eiffel-Tower/Construction-of-the-Eiffel-tower.php [Accessed 6
Aug. 2020].
• Noguès, O. (2013). Workshop Work. [online] www.wonders-of-the-world.net. Available at:
https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Eiffel-Tower/Workshop.php [Accessed 5 Aug. 2020].
• Zhang, M. (2018). Eiffel Tower: Animated Construction Timelapse. YouTube. Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RXC9GeKUvY [Accessed 10 Aug. 2020].
• Structurae. (n.d.). Eiffel Tower (Paris ( 7 Th ), 1889). [online] Available at:
https://structurae.net/en/structures/eiffel-tower [Accessed 11 Aug. 2020].
• trako.arch.rwth-aachen.de. (n.d.). Maurice Koechlin - The real inventor of the Eiffel tower - RWTH
AACHEN UNIVERSITY Chair of Structures and Structural Design - English. [online] Available at:
https://trako.arch.rwth-aachen.de/cms/TRAKO/Forschung/Bautechnikgeschichte/~mmso/Maurice-
Koechlin-der-eigentliche-Erfin/lidx/1/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2020].
• Smith, O. (2018). Eiffel Tower: 40 Fascinating Facts. [online] The Telegraph. Available at:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/paris/articles/Eiffel-Tower-facts/
[Accessed 12 Aug. 2020].

43. • Gustave Eiffel and Ligaran (2015). La Tour Eiffel En 1900. Erscheinungsort Nicht
Ermittelbar] Primento Digital Publishing Ann Arbor, Michigan Proquest.
• Structurae. (n.d.). Emile Nouguier (1840 - 1898). [online] Available at:
https://structurae.net/fr/personnes/emile-nouguier [Accessed 5 Aug. 2020].
• Structurae. (n.d.). Gustave Eiffel (1832 - 1923). [online] Available at:
https://structurae.net/en/persons/alexandre-gustave-eiffel [Accessed 5 Aug. 2020b].
• Structurae. (n.d.). Maurice Koechlin (1856 - 1946). [online] Available at:
https://structurae.net/en/persons/Maurice-koechlin [Accessed 5 Aug. 2020c].
• Eiffel Tower. (2013). In A. Ballantyne, Key buildings from prehistory to the present: plans,
sections and elevations. [Online]. London: Laurence King. Available from:
https://login.ezproxy.bolton.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/lk
ingbfpp/eiffel_tower/0?institutionId=3065 [Accessed 17 August 2020].
• Eiffel Tower. (2018). In Helicon (Ed.), The Hutchinson unabridged encyclopedia with atlas
and weather guide. [Online]. Abington: Helicon. Available from:
https://login.ezproxy.bolton.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/h
eliconhe/eiffel_tower/0?institutionId=3065 [Accessed 17 August 2020].
Reference