The Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower are metallic steel constructions

The Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower are two metallic steel constructions with impressive dimensions and a spectacular design. They are known all over the world, admired and even become extraordinary backgrounds for famous movies. Beyond these „glamour” aspects, a fact less known to the general public but, of course, essential, is that, for structural reasons, most constructions are made of steel.

Metallic steel constructions – Empire State Building

Located in New York, the city that never sleeps. The Empire State Building is the tallest building and absolute symbol of this city. Moviegoers definitely remember the huge King Kong gorilla climbing on top of the Empire State Building.

Another famous film to which the symbol of New York is linked is „An Affair to Remember” (1957) with Carry Grant and Deborah Kerr. If you will visit New York, you must go to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Where this famous skyscraper is located.

For more than 40 years, from 1931, when it was built, to 1972, when another colossus, the World Trade Center twin building complex, was born, the Empire State Building.

It was the tallest building in the world, measuring 443.09 meters, of which 62 meters is the top. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center complex was destroyed. The Empire State Building is once again the tallest building in New York City. The one who would become the „father” of the Empire State Building was none other than the architect William F. Lamb from the firm Shrene, Lamb and Harmon.

The steel structure was erected in record time (13 months). Mostly from the need to finish the construction so that the office spaces can be rented as soon as possible. The building was built during the economic crisis. Another reason was to gain worldwide recognition for the tallest building, competing with the Chrysler Building. Contractors Starrett and Eken achieved this rapid execution through meticulous planning.

The steel beams were ordered with the exact length and arrived at the construction site having marked on them the exact assembly position in the building. 57,000 tons of steel were used for the metal skeleton.

The Eiffel Tower

Paris: the capital of fashion, perfumes and extravagance. The Eiffel Tower, a famous metallic steel constructions with symbolic value, made of steel skeleton, representative of France, could not be missing from the landscape. The construction, which measures 324 meters high, was designed by Emile Nouguier, Maurice Koechlin and Stephen Sauvestre, employees of Eiffel & Co. Gustave Eiffel, initially reluctant about the daring project, later became a big supporter of it and bought the patent, according to Wikipedia.org. The symbol of France, built between January 1887 and March 1889, has a height of 324 m. Including the antenna at the top, added later. The construction bears the name of the engineer Gustave Eiffel. The one who founded and developed a company specialized in metal constructions.

7300 tons of steel (18038 steel pieces joined together by rivets) out of 10100 tons of total weight were needed for its construction.

Copy of the famous construction

The construction of this tower would have solid Romanian origins. If we give credence to an article published in the newspaper from the communist period „Flamura Prahovai”, entitled „The Eiffel Tower and the Ploiesti-Predeal railway”. Here it is stated that the architect Gustave Eiffel would have taken over the construction technology of the tower. After a construction by the Romanian engineer Gheorghe Panculescu.

The method attributed to him involved a technology of joining steel plates with rivets. Eiffel would have taken over the construction method on the occasion of a visit to Romania, made in the period 1878-1879.

Initially, the Eiffel Tower was not received with „open arms” by the public, because it was considered unaesthetic. Over time, it became not only a symbol, but also the most copied monument in the world, having over 30 replicas. Among these, the most famous imitations are in Las Vegas and Tokyo.

And in Romania we find a copy of the famous construction. It measures 50 meters and is located in the city of Slobozia.