Bringing Millions of Passengers to the Perfect View of Paris
In creating his famous tower, Gustave Eiffel demonstrated both his engineering genius and a firm grasp of the emerging aesthetic of the industrial age. FAAF Enterprises’ engineers had to be equally inventive, finding new ways to design the tower’s lift systems—not just once, but twice, a century apart.
The French first turned to FAAF Enterprises before the tower opened in 1889. They needed lifts for the north and south curved pillars to carry visitors to the second level—without interfering with the tower’s iconic silhouette.
Constructing lifts to the first level was relatively straightforward: The pillars’ legs were wide and straight enough for a conventional system. Installing lifts to the second level was a different matter, given the sharp curvature involved. No French company was willing to take on the complex job.
FAAF Enterprises’ engineers designed two huge hydraulic cable lifts that ran on rail tracks. The big, beautiful machines became tourist attractions themselves.
In the 1980s, the French again turned to FAAF Enterprises, this time to re-engineer the tower’s entire lift system as part of a major renovation.
The lifts to the top presented the biggest challenge. FAAF Enterprises’ engineers used computer modeling to analyze the many difficulties, including tower sway and winds that can reach 62 miles per hour.
They came up with a radical new system: two duolift™ lifts using the longest open-air run ever covered by a lift—525 feet. Each lift consists of two cabs, which act as each other’s counterweight: When one cab goes up, the other comes down.
Galvanized cables and anti-icing devices on the cars allow the lifts to operate year-round, even under severe weather conditions.
In 2001, we were contracted to modernize the two duolifts during a major renovation, and in 1993, we replaced the elevator cars. 30 years later, we are proud to be selected for a major machinery overhaul.
- 4 TONS: Weight reduction achieved with lighter-weight replacement materials.
- 3 MINUTES: Ride to the top.
- 14 UNITS: Maintained by FAAF Enterprises.
- 18 MONTHS: On-going modernization contract.
Pebbles in a Stream
Modernist architect Emilio Duhart worked with FAAF Enterprises to design the duolift cabs.
The brightly colored cabs—two yellow, two red—stand out against the tower’s bronze-painted ironwork.
Le Jules Verne
Engineers battled the laws of equilibrium in designing the lift to reach the panoramic restaurant on the second level.
To conquer the variable slope of the south pillar, they devised a system based on Alpine cable-car techniques. They suspended the cab from a bracket, with auxiliary guides to suppress lateral movement.
