What the Eiffel Tower will look like in 2024
Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, Paris' Eiffel Tower is getting a facelift - here's what the famous Champ-de-Mars is set to look like, and why the revamp has sparked protests.
After concern over plans to cut down the 42 trees lining the Eiffel Tower in order to build tourist facilities, Paris' Mayor’s office has agreed to revise plans for the renovation of Champs-de-Mars.
But the Eiffel Tower and the whole of the Champ-de-Mars area are still expected to be completely transformed ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
Here is what it’s set to look like:
The tower will be painted gold
For its latest paint job, the famous Iron Lady will be returned to the "yellow-brown" colour Gustave Eiffel intended for it in 1907. The tower was originally painted red when it was first presented during the 1889 World's Fair, and it has sported 20 different shades over the years. The "yellow-brown" colour is intended to be a nod to the colour of Olympic medals.
READ MORE: Plan to fell trees near Eiffel Tower causes backlash from residents in French capital
"It will give the Eiffel Tower a more 'golden' look during the Olympics compared to the colour we used to have," explained Patrick Branco Ruivo, general manager of the Sete, the operating company of the Parisian monument to AFP.
Rope access technicians repaint the Eiffel Tower on February 1, 2021 in Paris. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)
The Pont d'Iéna will become pedestrian only
The bridge connecting the Eiffel Tower on rive gauche to Trocadéro on rive droite will soon become no-car zone, lined with trees and greenery. Only public transport and emergency vehicles will use the lanes that have been built in place of the current sidewalks.
"It was time to make it easier for pedestrians to get around," explained the Mayor's office to French daily Le Parisien.
Le passage du Trocadéro à la Tour Eiffel (via le pont d'Iéna) sera piétonnisé et végétalisé🌳d’ici 2024 : le très beau projet—proposé par l’architecte paysagiste américaine Kathryn Gustafson qui ira, à terme, jusqu'à l’école militaire—a été retenu🇫🇷https://t.co/93moGg74NI#Paris pic.twitter.com/Z77JMmvKuX
— Bruno Crussol (@brunocrussol) May 22, 2019
A walkable area under the Tower
The space under the Eiffel Tower will be revitalised with walking paths and grass.
Découvrez les détails du projet "Grand Site Tour Eiffel 2024" sur notre blog. D'ici 2024, une grande partie du site de @LaTourEiffel sera piéton et végétalisé pour le plus grand plaisir des visiteurs qui fréquenteront le lieu. #BIM #Paris2024 @Paris https://t.co/1xR6Ac04sm pic.twitter.com/EMUx220ckA
— BIM Services (@bimservicesfr) May 29, 2019
Parijs tovert ruime omgeving van Eiffeltoren om tot groen voetgangersparadijs
De Quai Branly vlakbij zal 2 rijstroken tellen (nu 4). Voertuigen rijden max. 20 km/h en geven voetgangers voorrang. Dit is fase 1, tegen 2024 (Olympische Spelen). #mobiliteithttps://t.co/HQD6mctdIm pic.twitter.com/O4d2vFWgmM
— Marc De Niel 🚲 (@MDN_Energy) May 23, 2019
A green promenade on the quai Branly
The Quai Branly will also become green and walkable, with hedges and shrubs planted along the roadway to protect pedestrians from traffic. The number of lanes for cars will be reduced from four to two, and a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour will be implemented to give pedestrians the priority.
READ MORE: Anne Hidalgo’s eco-friendly plans for Paris: Speed limits, parking spaces and bikes
Not everyone is too pleased with these plans, particularly those living in the immediate vicinity.
Danièle Giazzi, mayor of the 16th arrondisement, told Paris daily Le Parisien that he fears the "risk of blockage in the whole sector" and that he "does not like the fact that one can no longer go from the left bank to the right bank and vice versa, except by scooter."
To visualise the change in traffic patterns, Le Parisien created this infographic.
La fontaine de Varsovie
The walkways on the east and west sides of the Warsaw Fountain will be redesigned to be more accessible for families and for those with mobile disabilities. Lawned steps and terraces, covered with grass, will be used for festive events.
The majority of the Warsaw Square will be reserved for pedestrians, and eventually it will be used for other festive events.
Gustafson Porter + Bowman reveals Eiffel Tower parks redesign: https://t.co/DcP7hvZlGY pic.twitter.com/QopkwOIL3q
— Dezeen (@dezeen) May 22, 2019
Paris' own 'Central Park'
When all of the work has been completed, this Champ-de-Mars gardens will extend all the way to the École Militaire. This will become a promenade of more than 1.5 kilometers, or 50 hectares, the equivalent of about 70 soccer fields.
Speaking of the new 'lungs' for the city, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "We're going to have an extraordinary garden to hear the birds sing again."
🇫🇷 Un jardin géant au coeur de Paris du Trocadéro au Champs de Mars via le pont d'Iéna et la tour Eiffel (infographie Le Parisien) pic.twitter.com/g0dpVHa27k
— Gilles Klein (@GillesKLEIN) May 22, 2019
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After concern over plans to cut down the 42 trees lining the Eiffel Tower in order to build tourist facilities, Paris' Mayor’s office has agreed to revise plans for the renovation of Champs-de-Mars.
But the Eiffel Tower and the whole of the Champ-de-Mars area are still expected to be completely transformed ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
Here is what it’s set to look like:
The tower will be painted gold
For its latest paint job, the famous Iron Lady will be returned to the "yellow-brown" colour Gustave Eiffel intended for it in 1907. The tower was originally painted red when it was first presented during the 1889 World's Fair, and it has sported 20 different shades over the years. The "yellow-brown" colour is intended to be a nod to the colour of Olympic medals.
READ MORE: Plan to fell trees near Eiffel Tower causes backlash from residents in French capital
"It will give the Eiffel Tower a more 'golden' look during the Olympics compared to the colour we used to have," explained Patrick Branco Ruivo, general manager of the Sete, the operating company of the Parisian monument to AFP.
The Pont d'Iéna will become pedestrian only
The bridge connecting the Eiffel Tower on rive gauche to Trocadéro on rive droite will soon become no-car zone, lined with trees and greenery. Only public transport and emergency vehicles will use the lanes that have been built in place of the current sidewalks.
"It was time to make it easier for pedestrians to get around," explained the Mayor's office to French daily Le Parisien.
Le passage du Trocadéro à la Tour Eiffel (via le pont d'Iéna) sera piétonnisé et végétalisé🌳d’ici 2024 : le très beau projet—proposé par l’architecte paysagiste américaine Kathryn Gustafson qui ira, à terme, jusqu'à l’école militaire—a été retenu🇫🇷https://t.co/93moGg74NI#Paris pic.twitter.com/Z77JMmvKuX
— Bruno Crussol (@brunocrussol) May 22, 2019
A walkable area under the Tower
The space under the Eiffel Tower will be revitalised with walking paths and grass.
Découvrez les détails du projet "Grand Site Tour Eiffel 2024" sur notre blog. D'ici 2024, une grande partie du site de @LaTourEiffel sera piéton et végétalisé pour le plus grand plaisir des visiteurs qui fréquenteront le lieu. #BIM #Paris2024 @Paris https://t.co/1xR6Ac04sm pic.twitter.com/EMUx220ckA
— BIM Services (@bimservicesfr) May 29, 2019
Parijs tovert ruime omgeving van Eiffeltoren om tot groen voetgangersparadijs
— Marc De Niel 🚲 (@MDN_Energy) May 23, 2019
De Quai Branly vlakbij zal 2 rijstroken tellen (nu 4). Voertuigen rijden max. 20 km/h en geven voetgangers voorrang. Dit is fase 1, tegen 2024 (Olympische Spelen). #mobiliteithttps://t.co/HQD6mctdIm pic.twitter.com/O4d2vFWgmM
A green promenade on the quai Branly
The Quai Branly will also become green and walkable, with hedges and shrubs planted along the roadway to protect pedestrians from traffic. The number of lanes for cars will be reduced from four to two, and a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour will be implemented to give pedestrians the priority.
READ MORE: Anne Hidalgo’s eco-friendly plans for Paris: Speed limits, parking spaces and bikes
Not everyone is too pleased with these plans, particularly those living in the immediate vicinity.
Danièle Giazzi, mayor of the 16th arrondisement, told Paris daily Le Parisien that he fears the "risk of blockage in the whole sector" and that he "does not like the fact that one can no longer go from the left bank to the right bank and vice versa, except by scooter."
To visualise the change in traffic patterns, Le Parisien created this infographic.
La fontaine de Varsovie
The walkways on the east and west sides of the Warsaw Fountain will be redesigned to be more accessible for families and for those with mobile disabilities. Lawned steps and terraces, covered with grass, will be used for festive events.
The majority of the Warsaw Square will be reserved for pedestrians, and eventually it will be used for other festive events.
Gustafson Porter + Bowman reveals Eiffel Tower parks redesign: https://t.co/DcP7hvZlGY pic.twitter.com/QopkwOIL3q
— Dezeen (@dezeen) May 22, 2019
Paris' own 'Central Park'
When all of the work has been completed, this Champ-de-Mars gardens will extend all the way to the École Militaire. This will become a promenade of more than 1.5 kilometers, or 50 hectares, the equivalent of about 70 soccer fields.
Speaking of the new 'lungs' for the city, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "We're going to have an extraordinary garden to hear the birds sing again."
🇫🇷 Un jardin géant au coeur de Paris du Trocadéro au Champs de Mars via le pont d'Iéna et la tour Eiffel (infographie Le Parisien) pic.twitter.com/g0dpVHa27k
— Gilles Klein (@GillesKLEIN) May 22, 2019
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