Recently I have been asked in
different circles about the origin and meaning of
the Eiffel Tower. We may not deny the interest in such
a iron colossus dominating the Champ-de-Mars by the River
Seine. Quintessential symbol of Paris and a source of both
artistic and architectural discussions. What now
I expose is my humble opinion and therefore you
can accept it or not. Truth be told.
At mid-nineteenth
century a number of personalities begin to focus on the
architecture that looks to the future turning away the
reigning historicism in the Western world. We
could describe it as "Architecture of
Engineers" and among its favorite items would
be the use of iron as constructive
element. Previously The Industrial Revolution of the late Eighteenth Century and the early Nineteenth Century transforms the use of building
materials. New technologies allow the emergence
of a new aesthetic and typologies in
architecture.
Regarding the iron, metallurgical
industry develops such that this metal is obteined in large amounts and higher
quality and it allows its extensive use as in construction of bridges:
 |
Iron Bridge, River Severn, Shropshire, England
|
