The Eiffel Tower:
-The importance of the design and construction
The Eiffel tower was the world’s tallest manmade building for 41years. It was designed for the Paris Exposition in 1889 (an event for the 100th anniversary of the French revolution). The Eiffel Tower is a very popular and important structure in Paris, France. It is a globally well-known structure and is often used in films to set the scene. The tower stands 324 meters (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. The tower is an important tourist attraction, showcasing firework and light shows, an ice-skating rink and restaurants. It is also a vital part of the communication in Paris. The present radio antenna was added to the top in 1957.
Eiffel and his engineers, as experienced bridge builders, understood the importance of wind forces and knew that if they were going to build the tallest structure in the world they had to be certain it would withstand the wind. Researchers have found that Eiffel used empirical and graphical methods accounting for the effects of wind rather than a specific mathematical formula.
-Significance of the materials
Three hundred workers joined together 18,038 pieces of puddled iron (a very pure form of structural iron), using two and a half million rivets, in a structural design by Maurice Koechlin ("The Tower Conception And Design" (in (English)). Tour-eiffel.fr. Retrieved 24 May 2010..) Every seven years the tower is painted to prevent the build up of rust, the colour often changes; it is currently a bronze colour. There is a running voting poll at the base of the tower for people to vote for the next colour. In order to maintain a uniform appearance to an observer on the ground, three separate colour’s of paint are used on the tower, with the darkest on the bottom and the lightest at the top ("Painting the Eiffel Tower". tour-eiffel.com. Retrieved 28 May 2011.)
-Significance of the designer
Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel , the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.
-Function for which it was built
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the tower has been used for radio transmission. Until the 1950s, an occasionally modified set of antenna wires ran from the summit to anchors on the Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars. They were connected to long-wave transmitters in small bunkers; in 1909, a permanent underground radio center was built near the south pillar and still exists today. Since 1957, the tower has been used for transmission of FM radio and television.
Originally, Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years (when ownership of it would revert to the City of Paris, who had originally planned to tear it down; part of the original contest rules for designing a tower was that it could be easily torn down), more than recouping his expenses, but as it later proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain after the expiry of the permit. The military used it to dispatch Parisian taxis to the front line of the Marne, and it therefore became a victory statue of that battle. It was also used to catch the infamous "Mata Hari", and after this, its demolition became unthinkable to the French population. ("Elegant Shape Of Eiffel Tower Solved Mathematically By University Of Colorado Professor". Sciencedaily.com. 7 January 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2010.)
-Function now-has it changed?
Now the tower is an iconic tourist attraction playing host to two restaurants in the tower, popular lighting and fire work displays and an annual ice skating rink in the winter. ("The annotated arch: a crash course in the history of architecture, By Carol Strickland, Amy Handy – Google Books". Google. Retrieved 24 May 2010.)
Guggenheim Museum:
-The importance of the design and construction
One of the most admired works if contemporary architecture the building has been hailed as a "single moment in the architectural culture" because it represents "one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something. (Tyrnauer, Matt (30 June 2010). "Architecture in the Age of Gehry". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 22 July 2010.) Gehry's work falls within the style od Deconstructivism, which is often referred to as post-structuralist in nature for its ability to go beyond current modalities of structural definition.
-Significance of the materials
The curves on the building were to appear random. The architect has been quoted (by unknown) as saying that "the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light". Gehry used Titanium, as it is a low-density, extremely strong corrosion-resistant metal that provides a lighter, more maneuverable alternative to steel, without the sacrifice of strength. While steel is excellent for right angles, titanium can be curved. Couple Gehry’s creative mind with CATIA software and titanium building materials, and the result is the Guggenheim Bilbao.
Architect Philip Johnston called it "the greatest building of our time" because of the new computer software advancement. (Lee, Denny (September 23, 2007), "Bilbao, 10 Years Later", The New York Times)
The software used in the designing and development of the structure also facilitates the engineering aspect of architecture, processing data and integrating contemporary materials to calculate the mathematics of construction. (Louise Blouin Media date: unknown)
-Significance of the designer
The museum's design and construction serve as an object lesson in Gehry's style and method. Like many of Gehry's other works, it has a structure that consists of radically sculpted, organic contours. Sited as it is in a port town, it is intended to resemble a ship. Its brilliantly reflective titanium panels resemble fish scales, echoing the other organic life (and, in particular, fish-like) forms that recur commonly in Gehry's designs, as well as the river Nervion upon which the museum sits.
(Tyrnauer, Matt (30 June 2010). "Architecture in the Age of Gehry". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 22 July 2010.)
-Function for which it was built
It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. It was built to draw attention and boost the citys tourism. Which it has achieved as it is one of the most popular influential designs in society today – it is an iconic building.
-Function now-has it changed?
When it was opened to the public in 1997, it was immediately hailed as one of the world's most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructionism, although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement. It still is a museum showcasing installations and has a fixed more permanent gallery.
The two architectural buildings have many similarities and differences.
Firstly, the similarities.
The Eiffel Tower and the Guggenheim Museum are both major architectural structures that are well known across the world. The two buildings both are very iconic and were the only buildings of there own type and style for the time they were built. Both buildings use new methods of design for example the newly developed computer technology was used in the Guggenheim Museum. The Eiffel tower uses puddle iron (a very pure form of structural iron) joined together by hand. Both designs incorporate a curvy design style but both still have a very formal look to them and are highly aesthetically pleasing. Both structures are built of sturdy materials, steel and iron. Today both structures are iconic tourist attractions that are visited by thousands of people annually.
Secondly, differences.
The buildings while being similar also are very different at the same time. Different designers, in different countries and areas, have designed them both in different time periods. The Eiffel Tower was designed and made as a temporary structure for a fair and was only to be put up for twenty years, where as Gehry’s design was for a gallery. The settings of the structures were also extremely contrasting, the tower being in the middle of the land in a city compared to the museum, which was next to the water in an older looking city. Also the Eiffel tower was built to be the tallest structure of the time, where as the museum was developed to blend in and not draw any attention away from the lower surrounding buildings. The two designers from different periods of design in time used different methods. Eiffel was a bridge designer therefore was a more formal designer using a practical approach. Gehry was a more creative architect designing a very unusual imaginative building. Both structures set of design styles that would be looked up to for many years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment