Looking through the glass floor
©Sophie Robichon - Mairie de Paris’

THE EIFFEL TOWER 1ST FLOOR IS REFURBISHED WITH GLASS

The Eiffel Tower! The very mention of its name is an invitation to dream, fantasise and travel; synonymous with grace, excellence and elegance, what other monument could better encapsulate the spirit of Paris?

The official reopening was 6/10/2014

Posted 14 November 2014

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This beacon, whose beam has swept the roofs of Paris lighthouse-like for more than 120 years, is one of the hundred or more legacies of the Universal Exhibitions of Paris.
Since then, it has never stopped shaping the face of our city, and has ensured our continued international fame and reputation.
It is the landmark monument of the French capital, symbolising the appeal of Paris, especially as a must-visit destination.


Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgowalks on the new glass floor at the Eiffel Tower ©Sophie Robichon - Mairie de Paris’		As a showcase for French technical expertise, it symbolises the spirit of Paris, a city with great ambitions that is rooted in its past, but always focused on the future and open to the world. So today, we are delighted to show how this venerable iron lady, who has never been content simply to rest on her four firmly-planted feet, continues to keep up with the times, and offer her multitude of admirers in other cities on other continents a new face, a new way of welcoming them, and new - sometimes extreme - experiences as, from her first floor, she reveals her secrets from a height of 57 metres.

Glass floor Eiffel Tower Paris ©Sophie Robichon - Mairie de Paris’


With around 7 million visitors every year, the Eiffel Tower and its teams are constantly developing the features, hospitality facilities and services offered to visitors, and doing so in ways that respect the principles of sustainable development and ensure high levels of safety. To welcome the public even more warmly and safely, it is essential to upgrade and renovate its facilities, which is exactly what has been achieved with the all-new first floor. Achieving such a feat can sometimes be extremely challenging, given ever-increasing visitor numbers. With its new glass floor, panoramic pavilions and sensational after-dark light show, the Eiffel Tower continues to move with the times without once closing to the public, as well as illuminating the capital and attracting visitors from all over the world to enjoy the timeless experie experience that is Paris.		West floor ©Sophie Robichon - Mairie de Paris’


Interior space Eiffel Tower ©Marie de Paris		Key Figures for the Eiffel Tower Original height: 312 metres (to the tip of the flagpole) Current height (inc. aerials): 324 metres Platform heights: 1st platform: 57 metres; 2nd platform (underside): 115 metres; 3rd platform (underside): 276 metres Total weight: 10,100 tonnes Weight of the metal framework: 7,300 tonnes Total number of rivets: 2,500,000 Distance between the pillars: 101 metres (footprint: 125 x 125 metres) Number of steps: via the East pillar to the top: 1,665 Paint: 60 tonnes used for every 7-year repaint. Visitor numbers: more than 250 million visitors since opening in 1889. 6,740,000 visitors in 2013

An exemplary sustainable development project
Although there is no 'High Quality Environmental' benchmark for the Eiffel Tower, one of the major goals of the project to refurbish its first floor was to achieve a significant reduction in its ecological footprint as part of the City of Paris Climate Plan.
The position of its glazing has been redesigned without in any way compromising the comfort of visitors as they take in the stunning panoramic views from the first floor of the Tower: this new level of sun protection reduces summer solar heat gain by more than 25%, thereby reducing the energy bill for air conditioning. The fact that almost all the lighting on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower has been converted to LED will boost power savings even further.
The Ferrié Pavilion now has 10 m• of roof-mounted solar panels, whose output will meet approximately 50% of the water heating needs of the two pavilions. The Pavilion has also gained a rainwater recovery system that provides flushing water to the toilet facilities. This system also reduces the amount of energy needed to power the booster pumps used to pump water to the higher levels of the tower.

“ The first floor now offers an enhanced experience of the Tower and of Paris itself; it's a sensory and hugely enjoyable experience that takes visitors on a voyage of the senses and that leads to new knowledge. The pavilions we have designed are influenced by the pillars of the Tower: they lean in submission to the strength of those pillars and are therefore inclined inwards. Alain Moatti, the architect who designed the first floor refurbishment project ”


A spectacular spatial experience The second and third floors of the Eiffel Tower may belong to the sky, but the first floor belongs to the city. Its transparent floor and new glass balustrading offer visitors a totally unique and spectacular spatial experience. The new anti-slip finish incorporates a progressive grading of transparency from the interior to the central void, which is 1.85 metres at its widest. The after-dark lighting scheme is consistent with the traditional image of the Eiffel Tower. The majority of this lighting uses warm colours and is focused discretely downwards towards the ground. In the central square, the light comes from the pavilions themselves and the balustrading. More information: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France +33 (0)892-701239 www.tour-eiffel.fr		New Inner space new Eiffel Pavilion ©Sophie Robichon - Mairie de Paris’