Gustave Eiffel

Guestave Eiffel: Beyond the Tower Vol. I contains full-colour pictures of Eiffel’s monuments in the American Continent. All of the pictures found in all of the three volumes of the Gustave Eiffel Exploration Series were taken by the author, Constantine Issighos, in his quest to unravel the mysteries and locations of the Eiffel monuments in the Americas. After starting as a novice construction engineer, Eiffel began his ground-breaking, impressive and creative career as a structural engineer with the completion of dozen of iron works around the world. When talking about Gustave Eiffel, we usually think of his two prominent monuments, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statute of Liberty in New York. Eiffel’s creation of the Statute’s central support system made it possible for it to withstand strong winds and other climatic changes. The widening, curved base at its foundation resists the lateral load caused by strong winds. Eiffel’s Tower, built in 1889, was the first 324 meter (1065 foot) tall structure at the time. Visitors were enchanted to view the metropolitan city of Paris from such a height—a “first in the world” accomplishment for Eiffel. However, what is not well known is that Eiffel’s designs and construction of metal structures can be found on most continents. It took the author over five (5) years and thousand of miles of traveling to discover Eiffel’s monuments in the American continent alone. The three volumes of the Gustave Eiffel Exploration Series show how orders were taken in France and then shipped as portable “Kids” with all the re-assembly instructions, including nuts, bolts, and double steel “U”, “T” and “Angle” support parts. Today, it is possible to visit Eiffel’s bridges, pavilions, mansions, train stations, churches and cathedrals, including pir-docks, fruit and vegetable markets, factories and ornamental water-fountains in several countries. The works of Gustave Eiffel were not limited to those mentioned above, for Eiffel experimented in telecommunications, aerodynamics and weather patterns, thus creating a practical use for his Tower. Without a doubt Gustave Eiffel was one of the most influential structural engineers and ornamental artist of all times. His immense impact on the field of structural architecture is unquestionable. While his most well-known structure is the Eiffel Tower, in this book you will discover that he designed many other awe-inspiring iron projects as well.