Industrialisation, Modernism and architecture.

The Eiffel tower and the Guggenheim museum have both been labeled astonishing masterpieces of their time. I will explore the reasons for this while also comparing similarities and differences between the two.

The Eiffel tower is without a doubt one of the most famous pieces of man-made architecture created to date. Standing today at 1050 feet high it is the symbol of Paris and was completed in 1889. The structure was designed by a French bridge builder Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. This gives me reason to believe that this is the reason why it looks so bridge-like. The Tower is made from 15000 pieces of iron that cross one another diagonally as the ascend into the sky. The reason for its existence was to celebrate the French revolution at the world exposition in the 1800s. Many people hated the tower and thought of it as a building without skin. After a failed petition to bring it down the tower now stands in Paris in all its iron glory. Currently it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Paris and the world.

A museum different from all the others in Spain known as the Guggenheim museum is easily one of the most interesting buildings of the 20th century. In a attempt to bring new light into a much industrialized Spain American architect Frank Gehry designed a sculpture-like building that was, and still is today, to be used as a museum of art. The building was designed to look like a ship while the pattern on the walls are fish scales. The structure is made from limestone, titanium panels and glass curtains. The limestone represents tradition while the titanium represents futuristic aspects.

Unlike the Eiffel tower, the museum was made to be used for many years after it was made. The Eiffel tower was originally a temporary project which was later kept instead of being destroyed. The towers structure is that of a pyramid whilst the museums has various free-formed segments connected to each other. Both structures are still used today as tourist attractions.

References

http://www.ionbee.net/travel/destinations/paris-france/eiffel-tower.php

http://www.redparis.co.nz/Facts-about-Eiffel-Tower__I.8033

http://jssgallery.org/essay/worlds_fairs/paris_exposition_1889/eiffel_tower.htm

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/guggenheimbilbao/index.html

http://www.arcspace.com/architects/gehry/Guggenheim_Museum/