Eiffel Tower Gets Glass Floor In Paris
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
#eiffel #tower #glass #france #paris #travel #architecture
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower in Paris will now be able to look down through a vertigo-inducing glass floor that forms part of a US $38 million refit of France's most-visited tourist attraction.
The transparent floor is on the first level of the tower, at 57 meters, where operators hope that visitors will linger before heading to the highest viewing platform at 276 meters above ground. Traditionally, tourists to the Eiffel Tower spend little time here before moving on to catch the better views from the two higher levels.
To add more excitement to the view down to the ground, the old wire safety fence has been replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass barriers that tilt outwards.
This project represented a technical exploit. Saint-Gobain had to develop a special product for the glass floor (128 square meters) and carry out very detailed studies bearing on the characteristics of the glass and the type of anti-skid coating to use. The floor had to remain as transparent as possible and the slip potential had to be minimized, which is why a pattern of dots (enamel and abrasive particles) was screen-printed on the upper surface of the glass. It took 18 months of R&D to conceive a high-quality screen printing process that would deliver excellent mechanical resistance and allow the product to keep looking attractive during use.
Glassolutions, a Saint-Gobain subsidiary, developed and manufactured the 64 LITE-FLOOR XTRA GRIP glass tiles used for the floor. The tiles were made by laminating three sheets of glass with two high-strength films. The total thickness of this composite is 32 millimeters, giving it a load-bearing capacity of 500 kilogram/square meters.
The refit of the half-hectare first floor, which began in May 2012 and was unveiled to the public Oct. 7, also includes shops, restaurants, and a museum telling the story of the 125-year-old construction. The tower's eco-friendliness has also improved, with the installation of four solar panels that will provide about half of the tower's hot-water requirements. Some of the toilets will also be operated using rainwater.
About seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year - 85 percent of them foreigners - making it the world's busiest paid-for tourist attraction. The tower's management also hopes that the renovation will attract more Parisians to the "Dame en Fer" (The Iron Lady), as it is sometimes referred to in French.
The tower opened in 1889 and was named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company engineered the project.
The transparent floor is on the first level of the tower, at 57 meters, where operators hope that visitors will linger before heading to the highest viewing platform at 276 meters above ground. Traditionally, tourists to the Eiffel Tower spend little time here before moving on to catch the better views from the two higher levels.
To add more excitement to the view down to the ground, the old wire safety fence has been replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass barriers that tilt outwards.
This project represented a technical exploit. Saint-Gobain had to develop a special product for the glass floor (128 square meters) and carry out very detailed studies bearing on the characteristics of the glass and the type of anti-skid coating to use. The floor had to remain as transparent as possible and the slip potential had to be minimized, which is why a pattern of dots (enamel and abrasive particles) was screen-printed on the upper surface of the glass. It took 18 months of R&D to conceive a high-quality screen printing process that would deliver excellent mechanical resistance and allow the product to keep looking attractive during use.
Glassolutions, a Saint-Gobain subsidiary, developed and manufactured the 64 LITE-FLOOR XTRA GRIP glass tiles used for the floor. The tiles were made by laminating three sheets of glass with two high-strength films. The total thickness of this composite is 32 millimeters, giving it a load-bearing capacity of 500 kilogram/square meters.
The refit of the half-hectare first floor, which began in May 2012 and was unveiled to the public Oct. 7, also includes shops, restaurants, and a museum telling the story of the 125-year-old construction. The tower's eco-friendliness has also improved, with the installation of four solar panels that will provide about half of the tower's hot-water requirements. Some of the toilets will also be operated using rainwater.
About seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year - 85 percent of them foreigners - making it the world's busiest paid-for tourist attraction. The tower's management also hopes that the renovation will attract more Parisians to the "Dame en Fer" (The Iron Lady), as it is sometimes referred to in French.
The tower opened in 1889 and was named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company engineered the project.
