Construction of the Eiffel Tower

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Audience/Grade:	College Freshman - Continuing Education
Discipline(s):	Architectural Engineering Civil Engineering Construction Engineering
Special Topic(s):	History of Technology
Learning Resource Type:	Reference - Visuals
Media Type:	Image
Author(s):	LaTourEiffel
Description:	Website with text and photos associated with the construction of the Eiffel Tower. "All the elements were prepared in Eiffel’s factory located at Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. Each of the 18,000 pieces used to construct the Tower were specifically designed and calculated, traced out to an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre and then put together forming new pieces around five metres each. A team of constructors, who had worked on the great metal viaduct projects, were responsible for the 150 to 300 workers on site assembling this gigantic erector set. It only took five months to build the foundations and twenty-one to finish assembling the metal pieces of the Tower. Considering the rudimentary means available at that period, this could be considered record speed. The assembly of the Tower was a marvel of precision, as all chroniclers of the period agree. The construction work began in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. On the narrow platform at the top, Eiffel received his decoration from the Legion of Honour."
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Keywords:	Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel, construction projects, architectural engineering


Usage Tip
Use of Resource:	Great case study in construction engineering and history of technology.
Difficulty:	Medium
Interactivity Level:	Medium