The pig iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes while the entire structure, including non-metal components, is approximately 10,000 tonnes. As a demonstration of the economy of design, if the 7,300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125 metre square base to a depth of only 6 cm (2.36 in), assuming the density of the metal to be 7.8 tonnes per cubic metre. Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7.1 in) because of thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.
At the time the tower was built many people were shocked by its daring shape. Eiffel was criticised for the design and accused of trying to create something artistic, or inartistic according to the viewer, without regard to engineering. Eiffel and his engineers, however, 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.
Gustave Eiffel new that the design and construction of the tower would need to be considered multiple times in order for such a large and artistic piece to come to life.
-http://www.answers.com/topic/eiffel-tower
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial. 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 Deconstructivism, although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement. Architect Philip Johnson called it "the greatest building of our time".
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 Nervión upon which the museum sits. Also in typical Gehry fashion, the building is uniquely a product of the period's technology. Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application and visualizations were used heavily in the structure's design.
Computer simulations of the building's structure made it feasible to build shapes that architects of earlier eras would have found nearly impossible to construct. While the museum is a spectacular monument from the river, at street level it is quite modest and does not overwhelm its traditional surroundings.[citation needed] The museum was opened as part of a revitalization effort for the city of Bilbao and for the Basque Country. Almost immediately after its opening, the Guggenheim Bilbao became a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the globe. It was widely credited with "putting Bilbao on the map" and subsequently inspired other structures of similar design across the globe, such as the Cerritos Millennium Library in Cerritos, California.
-http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/secciones/el_museo/el_edificio.php?idioma=en
The pig iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes while the entire structure, including non-metal components, is approximately 10,000 tonnes. As a demonstration of the economy of design, if the 7,300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125 metre square base to a depth of only 6 cm (2.36 in), assuming the density of the metal to be 7.8 tonnes per cubic metre. Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7.1 in) because of thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun. The materials have been chosen carefully with consideration of the sun, and other matters related to its weight. Without the right materials such a big tower would be impossible to keep up and withstand nature’s presence.
-http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/eiffel/eiffelfacts.html
The choice of titanium panels was intently chosen because it “resembles 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 Nervión upon which the museum sits.”
The designer has deeply thought about what each element of the building resembles. The building was made to symbolize its surrounding site and environment. Sited as it is in a port town, it is intended to resemble a ship. The curves on the building have been designed to catch the light and create a pleasing effect.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao
Without contemporary art designer Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum wouldn’t have had such detailed meanings behind each aspect of it but also it wouldn’t have looked as unique as it does till this day despite being made in 1997. He has also added in his usually trademark as “it consists of radically sculpted, organic contours” like most of his works do.
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures. It was this speciality that gave him the ability to successfully build the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years. He also managed to have a piece like the Eiffel tower with due the weather conditions for all these years and have it still remain stable despite its enormous height. Without Gustave’s knowledge this structure would’ve been a failure.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Eiffel#Buildings_and_structures
The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. The tower now has two restaurants: Altitude 95, on the first floor 311 ft (95 m) above sea level; and the Jules Verne, an expensive gastronomically restaurant on the second floor, with a private lift. This restaurant has one star in the Michelin Red Guide. In January 2007, the multi-Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse was brought in to run Jules Verne. Today more than 200,000,000 people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889, including 6,719,200 in 2006. The tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world.
-http://www.parispages.com/Monuments/Eiffel/
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was built to be a museum of modern and contemporary art and still is till this day showcasing multiple artists along the likes of Richard Serra. With close to ninety exhibitions and over ten million visitors to its credit, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao forever changed the way the world thinks about museums, and it continues to challenge our assumptions about the connections between art, architecture, and collecting.
-http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao
Both structures have been considered the best pieces of their time and still carry a name till this day. They have not only become tourist attractions but have also bought together people from all around the world from different backgrounds and walks in life. People who have been fortunate enough to visit the sites comment that each piece is simple architectural genius.
The Guggenheim Museum is an architectural masterpiece that displays other works of art on the inside as it is a more of an art Museum. The Eiffel tower on the other hand is simple a structural piece that you view which is completely about the Eiffel tower itself as oppose to a place that celebrates and exhibits art in general.
