It wasn’t all grave oversight that didn’t set the tower straight. The lean on the Tower of Pisa is evidence how interrupted construction and other factors can tilt, so to speak, structures toward certain outcomes.
This medieval structure, now one of the most recognizable tourist spots in the world, actually took two centuries to build. One can imagine the changes the structure will go through in that span of time. Workers had already added a third floor to it in 1178, but internal conflicts among the Italian states would relegate the continuation of the construction to the 13th century. When construction was abandoned for the first time, the tower was already leaning slightly to the north.
Image source: wikimedia.org
The tower would only be completed in the 14th century, at which time two centuries had elapsed since the beginning of construction.
As if halting construction weren’t enough human error, engineers, architects, and restoration experts are of the opinion that the design and planning were already wanting in the first place. Given the soft and malleable grounds of Pisa, composed of sand and clay characteristic of river banks, the foundation would not have been strong enough to hold the tower upright. In short, the leaning tower was a faulty reclamation project from the start.
Image source: wikimedia.org
In fact, this flaw had already been detected earlier, but workers did not cease adding levels in the ensuing years. The tower teetered further to collapse, but of course, modern technology and knowhow intervened, albeit with their limits. The ground on which the tower is built on would not yield that easily.
This world-renowned structure then remains an expensive project to keep standing.
Reddy
Kancharla is a former civil engineer with years of extensive experience in civil construction, geotechnical consultation, and construction QA/QC. Learn more about these concepts by
subscribing to this blog.
