Iconic Eiffel Tower set for new solar panel, glass floor makeover

The much anticipated renovated first floor of iconic Eiffel Tower will soon be unveiled in Paris, which includes its new glass floor and solar panels.

The project took about two years of completion and around 30 million Euros were spent to repair the 5,000 square meters first floor, The Guardian reported.

The renovation is part of the Paris city authorities' attempts to promote the tower as more than a top tourist attraction but a living, working symbol of the French capital's dynamism and capacity for regeneration.

The renovation involved much glass and many burgundy-colored metal installations, has modernized the pavilions on the first floor, introduced access to the outer platform with its spectacular panoramic views of the city to those in wheelchairs, and added Braille to signs and displays. A cinema room shows historic and recent film of the tower.

The project also aims to reduce the tower's carbon footprint by shifting the position of glass panels to reduce air-conditioning bills in summer, introducing solar panels to heat half of the hot water it uses, installing a rainwater collection system to supply the lavatories, and using LED lighting.

Visitors can now also stand on a glass floor and see straight down to the ground from a height of 57 metres.