Blogs

Scaffolding Big Ben Few landmarks say London quite like Big Ben. Technically, Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster. But for generations, people around the world have used the name to describe the entire clock tower. And when you're responsible for maintaining a structure that recognizable, putting scaffolding around it is no small undertaking. The tower is more than 160 years old. It contains historic masonry, intricate architectural detai …

Scaffolding the Eiffel Tower Some structures are famous because they're old. Others because they're beautiful. A few become symbols of entire countries. The Eiffel Tower managed to become all three. Rising above Paris since 1889, the tower is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Millions of visitors see the finished landmark every year. What they don't usually think about is what it takes to maintain it. The Eiffel Tower isn't a monument that can simply be built and forgotten. I …

Restoring Ancient Structures in Italy There are old buildings. And then there are buildings that were already old before many modern countries existed. Italy is filled with structures that have survived centuries of weather, wars, earthquakes, changing cities, and generations of human use. Roman amphitheaters. Aqueducts. Temples. Stone walls. Ancient roads. Historic churches and public buildings. Some have stood for well over a thousand years. Others date back more than two thousand. Keeping str …