This paper assesses the significance of the Tour Perret, which was built for the 1925 international exhibition on ‘houille blanche’ (‘white coal’ or hydroelectric power) and tourism held in Grenoble. This tower could also have been the symbol of Grenoble's know-how in reinforced concrete. In spite of the region's long history in the cement industry, particularly since Vicat was set up, it was a Paris-based company that won the bid in 1924. The firm was run by the Perret brothers, two pioneers in this field, who were commissioned to design the tower in a few weeks and to build it in 7 months. This project was quite a challenge from the construction point of view and it is often compared with the Eiffel Tower built in 1889 for the centenary of the French Revolution. Tour Perret was built to demonstrate the extraordinary possibilities of reinforced concrete, just as the Eiffel Tower had done for iron in its day.
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August 2012
Research Article|
August 01 2012
The Perret Tower of Grenoble, France Available to Purchase
Cédric Avenier, PhD;
Cédric Avenier, PhD
Researcher, AE&CC, Ecole nationale supérieure d'architecture de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
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Anne Coste, PhD
Anne Coste, PhD
Professor, Head of ‘Cultures Constructives’ Research Laboratory, AE&CC, Ecole nationale supérieure d'architecture de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
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Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
June 01 2011
Accepted:
September 27 2011
Online ISSN: 1757-9449
Print ISSN: 1757-9430
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved
2012
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage (2012) 165 (3): 157–165.
Article history
Received:
June 01 2011
Accepted:
September 27 2011
Citation
Avenier C, Coste A (2012), "The Perret Tower of Grenoble, France". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage, Vol. 165 No. 3 pp. 157–165, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/ehah.11.00018
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