The Eiffel Tower (my favorite!) by mia

My favorite structure ever is the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. Built by Gustave Eiffel for the World Exhibition in 1889, this amazing tower towers over the Paris at 300 meters (984 ft) tall. When it was completed at the end of the 19th century it was twice as tall as the Washington Monument, that was the tallest building in the world at the time. Surprisingly, the Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stand until the end of the Exposition but of course it still stands today. Some artists of the time protested that it would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' (whatever that means) and feared that the gorgeous tower didn't fit in with the architecture of the city. Now, thankfully Parisians love the tower and it has become the symbol of Paris.



In my opinion, Gustave Eiffel is a genius. He designed many other structures, my favorite of which is the Garabit Viaduct over the Truyere River in France. Like his tower, it is made up of a delicate (looking) framework of curved trusses. The arch of the Garabit Viaduct is a beautiful crescent shape that is as structurally efficient as it is beautiful (we learned this in that Great Course). When you see it from the top, the arch if the bridge is wider on the bottom than it is on the top, adding stability. The same goes for all the columns (you can see those).

You can see a similar thing in the curves of the Eiffel Tower. The base is much wider than the top and the four curved trusses that make up the tower itself taper off at the top. The resulting structure is beautifully graceful and incredibally stable looking. Between the wide bases and the light framework they are made of, there is little room for wind resistence in both structures. The brilliant combination of structure and aesthetics is what I love about both creations.
 From anywhere in Paris you can see Eiffel's Tower looming high over the rooftops of the other buildings and you are reminded that you are in the best city in the entire world!