Mar 20 2008The Eiffel Tower's New Celebratory Party Hat
To celebrate the Eiffel Tower's 120th anniversary as one of the world's most recognizable phallic landmarks, it's going to don a temporary party hat designed by architectural firm Serero.
The design is based on a generative script, creating branches out of the primary structure of the tower. Inspired by the structural concept of Eiffel of three-dimensional cross bracing beams, the script unfolds along curved lines the “DNA” of the tower. The script used the existing structure at the top of the tower ( a 10 by 10 meters cube) to generate 3 structural weaves, which are interconnected. These layers are combined to create a woven complex, which is based on the redundancy and the non-repetition of patterns to increase its structural performance. In opposition with modern engineering (based on the concept of repetition and optimization), the project for the Eiffel tower extension is based on an alternative model of high performance.
Cool, I guess. What better way to celebrate a landmark than building it an awesome party hat? I can't think of any. I suggest we do something similar for the Statue of Liberty's upcoming 125th anniversary. Based on her pose, I'm thinking it'd be pretty easy to make Lady Liberty look like she's funneling a beer.
A ton more pictures of the tower's addition after the jump.
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Reader Comments
1. boredom - March 20, 2008 3:36 PM
FIRST.... OLD NEWS
ok now that thats out of the way, it's got a sombrero on it. Dangit they're even invading france now
2. arligt - March 20, 2008 3:40 PM
anorectic teletubbie. first pic, to the left. hah!
3. CoryTheRaven - March 20, 2008 3:42 PM
The party hat is somewhere between curiously Albert Robida-inspired avant garde retro-future and lame. I'm not sure where.
4. guate6 - March 20, 2008 3:49 PM
FRIST
WOW, THIS IS LIKE TWENTY YEARS OLD. I SAW THIS YEARS AGO!!!
Having said that, I disagree with the teletubby remark. And I'll not comment on the racist remark against those who wear these "sombreros" (though as I said before, they're called "charros").
It's neat the French are doing this...and I must agree with the Geekologie writer about the Statue of Liberty...beer funnel = brilliant idea.
5. guate6 - March 20, 2008 3:50 PM
Oh, I forgot:
LAME!!
ASS-HAT!!
NOVEMBER!!
6. Trisha - March 20, 2008 3:56 PM
the Eiffel tower in Paris, TX has had a hat for a while now
7. Pud Knocker - March 20, 2008 4:01 PM
The world's largest french tickler.
8. boredom - March 20, 2008 4:05 PM
guate6 it had to be said and it still fits being I believe you said sombrero meant hat? I think that's what I remember and if that's true then it still works.
I'll third the beer funnel idea though
9. Michael Brown - March 20, 2008 4:19 PM
She's hardly a lady. If you look under the dress she's actually sporting a penis, a sort of last laugh by France.
10. Jeff - March 20, 2008 4:29 PM
Funneling? Uhh, that would be bonging a beer...
11. Eddy - March 20, 2008 4:43 PM
Stole from the space needle, IMO.
12. guate6 - March 20, 2008 4:56 PM
Boredom: yes, you're still right. And according to your source (Meridian Webster): the word is correct. Though I said it mostly since it's outside of the US it's referring to, and it'd be a neat culture clash.
If that didn't make sense, I'm drunk and I don't care. Free beer for everyone!
13. Faith - March 20, 2008 5:51 PM
Those people are crazy, I would never go up and walk on that thing! I would get scared SHITLESS!!!
14. Sesmu - March 20, 2008 6:02 PM
MW Was mah source!
@boredom It looks nothing like a sombrero.
15. honky tonk monkey monk - March 20, 2008 9:51 PM
I actually think it's pretty cool, but how quickly will people be banned from this thing after that first BASE jumper throws himself off of it?
Two heartbeats.
16. NekoNeko - March 21, 2008 12:38 AM
I preferred it when they had that group that put a condom on the Eiffel Tower. Now that's classy.
17. arligt - March 21, 2008 5:11 AM
faith; are you just throwing a lame joke (because you acctually do understand that it's a manipulated photo), or are you just a stupid dumbbut (who thinks it's for real)?
18. nico - March 21, 2008 7:11 AM
In France we already put a condom on the obelisque in Paris (http://www.actupparis.org/img/9312.JPG) so we thought "what could be more stupid than than?" and guess what, whe found!
Ey! we also have a little statue of liberty near le pont de l'Alma in Paris, it should be great to tune it as you suggested!
19. Shannon Thomas - March 23, 2008 2:46 AM
why is the eiffel tower dressing up as the space needle for its birthday?
20. Andrés B. Lanoël - March 28, 2008 3:16 PM
Porqué no le ponen un sombrero a la Pirámide de Keops? o quizás pintar de verde fluo al Taj Mahal? Ridículo, no?.
Aparte no creo que sea posible estudiar al detalle los esfuerzos que el viento introduciría a esa vieja estructura, podría llevarla al colapso