LEANING TOWER OF PISA… Do You Know?

LEANING TOWER OF PISA… Do You Know?


Italian Torre Pendente di Pisa medieval structure in Pisa, Italy, that is famous for the settling of its foundations, which caused it to lean 5.5 degrees (about 15 feet {4.5 meters}) from the perpendicular y the late 20th century. The bell tower, begun in 1173 as the third and final structure of the city’s cathedral complex, was designed to stand 185 feet (56 meters) high and was constructed of white marble. Three of its eight stories were completed when the uneven settling of the building’s foundation in the soft ground became noticeable.

Bonnano Pisano, the engineer in charge, sought to compensate for the lean by making the new stories slightly taller on the short side, but the extra masonry caused the structure to sink still further. Work was suspended several times as engineers sought solutions, but the tower was ultimately topped out in the 14th century, still leaning.

The foundations have been strengthened by the injection of cement grout and various types of bracing and reinforcement, but in the late 20th century the structure was still subsiding, at the rate of 0.05 inch (1.2 mm) per year, and was in danger of collapse. In 1990 the tower was closed and the bells silenced as engineers undertook a major straightening project. Earth was siphoned from underneath the foundations, decreasing the lean by 17 inches (44 cm) to 13.5 feet (4.1 meters); engineers predicted it would take 300 years for the structure to return to its 1990 position. The work was completed in May 2001.