ASCE PEC

Evolution of Leaning Structures--An Error that became a Modern Genius

Tilt was always seen as an enemy in building construction, whenever we see a really tall building, leaning even the slightest it evokes an unsettling and unsafe feeling and rightly so a building which was meant to stand up straight should do just that.

But even engineers are humans, and error is natural, the Leaning tower of Pisa is the result of one such oversight the ground beneath the tower wasn’t strong enough to hold the weight of the structure hence it tilted.

But nobody would ever want to intentionally build something like that, would they? A layman would not, but engineers are a different species, we thrive on challenge and problems. We want to do something that no one can think of doing. And the Gate of Europe is a result of just that.