In celebration of the 120th birthday of the Eiffel Tower, which is next year, the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel decided to restructure the public reception and access areas of the tower. Paris-based SERERO Architects won an open competition for the icon's restructuring with a proposal that will extend the top floor area used by its 6.5 million annual visitors from 280m2 to 580m2. The temporary addition, which will be constructed with carbon Kevlar, steel connectors, and metal mesh, "aims to create a temporary horizontal extension of the third floor of the tower in order to increase the quality of the access of the public as well as experiencing the fantastic 360 degrees sight of Paris." According to SERERO:
The Eiffel Tower in Paris suffers from its success. Since its creation the amount of visitors coming to reach its top has increased to reach its limit capacity. 6.5 million people wait between 35 minutes to 1h10 to reach the elevators. The floor area of each level decreases with the height because of the tower geometry resulting in very long waiting lines and crowd-management problems.
I don't know about you, but I don't quite know what to think of this nouveau observation deck. A part of me, prone to purism, is anxious about this change (albeit temporary), and another whole-heartedly embraces this merging of past and future. What do you think? Check out these architectural renderings below, and let me know.
Source
Early 20
Lyie Van Rycke
Avon
Awesome!!
1Something tells me that although this looks ethereal and airy in the artist's rendering and blueprints, it's going to be much heavier when actually constructed. And I'm not to keen on how it completely changes the tower's beautiful, tapering silhouette. Eh.
2C'est terrible! It looks like some kind of weird flowering UFO landed on top of it.
And I'd be scared out of my mind to stand on the extended part like that. It doesn't look supported enough.
3Wow...I'm interested to see how it looks once it's revealed!
4It reminds me of those lizardy dragon animals that has flaps around it's neck that extend when it feel threatened...I can't think of the name of it.
5nooooooooo
the eiffel tower is perfect the way it is....
if it's broke, don't fix it.
6Oh my god, it's amazing! In the second picture, it reminds me of the ivory tower from The Neverending Story!!
7Noooo!! They need to leave well enough alone. It's perfect as it is
8I don't like it at all. I love the eiffel tower. Leave it alone!
9That would be like them changing Big Ben or the Statue of Liberty.
10Huh. I wonder what the French think of this. Most of them regard the Eiffel Tower as a complete eyesore anyway.
11I think this addition is HORRIBLE! Even if it's there temporarily. Like most monuments, I think the Eiffel tower should stay as it is and as it was originally conceived. You don't see anyone running around and changing the Cupola at St-Peters in Rome, the Empire State Building in NYC, or the CN Tower in Toronto.
I think the effect is so much more pronounced because it will stick it more than it ever did... even though most Parisians dislike the Eiffel tower, adding this horrendous 'visitor' space will make the monument look atrocious and more out of place than before. Ick.
What about those that travel all the way to Paris to see its iconic skyline (as you see in movies, etc.) Ick! I would be heartbroken to go to Paris for the first time and see the Eiffel tower in this way.
12Nope, don't like it. Not at all.
13The addition looks very art nouveau in design. To me it makes the Eiffel tower look like a cake stand. C'est la vie.
14I like catou07's argument: what a shame it would be to have to see this on your first trip to Paris. I love that city and if I was there when this, thankfully, temporary piece was up, I would be SCARED to go up on it!
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