Messing With Success

Someone has decided that the current design of the Eiffel Tower was insufficient for the 120th anniversary of the opening of the tower, designed by Gustav Eiffel for the 1889 Paris Exposition.

Put simply, they're going to bolt on extensions to the Tower's highest observation deck, increasing its size. Sacre bleu!

Here's how that would look, when viewing it from the base.

Ghastly doesn't begin to describe it. Right now, the Tower has very slender and graceful lines. This looks like someone is putting an ill-fitting hat on top of it. It isn't very attractive at all. More to the point, why was it decided that such changes were needed? Past celebrations of the Tower's birthday have been marked with new and improved lighting displays. The current display includes hundreds of flashing lights that sparkle and shimmer.

The Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) has announced that Serero Architects of Paris has won a competition to redesign the structure's public viewing platform and reception areas. The winning design, which will be 276 metres above the ground, will not require permanent modification of the existing structure. It will double the capacity of the public viewing area on the tower's top floor.

The new platform will be bolted onto the tower using a web of Kevlar, an extremely strong and lightweight carbon fibre used in the construction of racing cars and body armour. The platform will use a cantilevered design similar to the way an aircraft's wings are attached to the fuselage.

The design is already causing controversy, with critics questioning the wisdom of tinkering with the famous silhouette and spending money on upgrading a tourist attraction that attracts 6.9 million visitors a year.

A spokesman for SETE explained in a statement that the plan to restructure the top of the tower was intended to increase the quality of access. Average waiting times for the tower's lifts now run at more than an hour during peak periods.

I can remember waiting more than an hour to ride up to the observation decks, and you know what - it was totally worth the time. I got to enjoy the view of the tower from many different angles.