The Construction of a Parisian Icon | Design & Architectural Style of Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. Named after its engineer and designer, Gustave Eiffel; the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower is 320 meters (1,050 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. It became the tallest man-made structure globally during its construction, surpassing New York City's Chrysler Building by nearly 200 feet (61 m). Learn everything about this fascinating man-made architectural wonder of the world on this page.

Color of the Eiffel Tower

It takes several coats of paint to ensure that the Eiffel Tower is protected from oxidation. To this end, the tower has been repainted 19 times since its construction. Painters strip and clean the entire tower, then apply two coats of rust-proofing and the final coat of paint.

However, the conditions have be just right for the repainting campaign to take place. The weather cannot be cold or wet; as both don't allow for the paint to hold well on the structure. When the weather is right, at an average of seven years, the tower gets repainted. Since, the traditional methods are still in use a lot of attention is paid to the safety of workers. The tower is fitted with safety nets and safety lines. Painters are equipped with harnesses to work on the Eiffel Tower's beams.

Over the course of years, during these repainting campaigns, the Eiffel Tower turned to various shades, from red-brown to yellow-ochre to chestnut brown and finally, bronze. The tower is slighted shaded off on the top so that the color is perceived to be the same throughout.

Puddle iron, the material used to build the Eiffel Tower, can last for an enternity, as long as it is repainted. However, it is affected by other factors such as rust, pollution and bird droppings.

History of Eiffel Tower's colors

• 1887/88 : Venetian red.
• 1889 : Reddish-brown
• 1892 : Ochre brown
• 1899 : 5 shades from yellow-orange at the base to light yellow at the top
• 1907-1947 : Yellow-brown
• 1954-61 : Brownish-red
• 1968 - Now : Eiffel Tower Brown, applied in three shades, with the darkest at the bottom and the lightest at the top.

Eiffel Tower Riddled with Rust

Recent reports suggest that the Eiffel Tower is riddled with rust and in need of repairs. Ideally, about 30% of the tower needs to be stripped back to the metal, repaired and then have two coats applied. However, the tower is instead going through a 60 million euro paint job ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The delays in the work caused due to the pandemic has made SETE, the company that oversees the tower, to take the decision to treat only 5% of the tower.