tower

A tower is a tall vertical structure that is usually freestanding or part of a larger building. Towers are designed to rise above their surroundings and to serve one or more functions such as observation, defense, signaling, or housing equipment. They are built from materials including stone, brick, concrete, and steel, and vary widely in shape from cylindrical to square and from solid to lattice frameworks.

Common types include watchtowers in fortifications, bell towers (campaniles) and clock towers attached to churches or civic buildings, minarets in mosques, water towers that store and pressurize water, and modern communications towers that carry antennas for radio, TV, and cellular networks. Architectural towers may be purely monumental or integrated with palaces, churches, and city halls, serving as landmarks and symbolizing authority or religious presence.

Construction considerations include height, slenderness, wind resistance, and foundation stability. Many towers use tall, slender forms with deep foundations; practical designs may rely on solid masonry, steel framing, or lattice structures and, in some cases, guyed cables. Maintenance and safety standards govern access, lifts, and structural integrity.

Historically, towers appear in ancient and medieval architecture—for example, watchtowers, signaling towers, and bell towers—while the 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of tall observation and communication towers. Notable examples include the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, and the CN Tower in Toronto.