Stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The leaning tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. Famous for its unintended tilt, the 56m tower took nearly 200 years to build. Work started in 1173 and five years later it started tilting.

The shift was caused by shallow foundations of 3m and unstable subsoil. Engineers working on the tower in later years built upper floors with one side shorter than the other in an attempt to compensate. As a result the structure is now curved as well as tilting.

To learn more about stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa click here: www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/what-do-civil-engineers-do/stabilising-the-leaning-tower-of-pisa