Tower ‘will be covered in plants’
It is reported that the Eiffel Tower is to covered in thousands of plants so as to become a symbol of French ecology
THE CITY of Paris is planning to cover the Eiffel Tower with 600,000 plants, according to claims in Le Figaro today.
The paper said there are plans to spend €72 million on making the tower look like a giant tree, with baskets of shrubbery attached to it from top to bottom, plus an elaborate irrigation system.
The paper said it is estimated the tower will weigh an extra 378 tonnes from June next year, by which point the plants, which are to be grown in nurseries during the first part of next year, are meant to have been have been attached.
The aim is said to be to symbolise France’s wish to be seen as a leader in the field of eco-friendly living. The plan has been worked out to be “carbon positive” – the green tower will give off 84.2 tonnes of CO2 and absorb 87.8 tonnes.
The popular sparkling lights, in place since 2002, will not be affected by the greenery, it is planned.
The scheme is said to be temporary, with the effect to reach its full potential by 2014 after the plants reach full maturity, followed by dismantling from February to July 2016.
Responsible for the project are, reportedly, the engineering group Ginger, construction firm Vinci, architect Claude Bucher, the city of Paris and the SETE (firm that runs the tower).
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