FAQ. What is the tall bullet shaped building in Barcelona?

FAQ. What is tall bullet shaped tower in Barcelona?


The tall bullet shaped skyscraper tower in Barcelona is called La Torre Glòries and it's in the startup and tech 22 business area of Barcelona in the Barcelona city district called Sant Marti. La Torre Glòries means the Glòries Tower.  It was formerly called the 'Torre Agbar'. 

Torre Agbar Barcelona

The Glòries Tower is similar in design to the Gherkin building (height 180m) in London and is quite a recent addition to the Barcelona skyline. It was built in the year 2004. It is 144 m / 474 ft high and has 4400 windows. It is named the Glòries Tower because of its location in the Glòries area of Barcelona on the Glòries plaza. The Torre Glòries looks splendid when illuminated at night in a colourful array of 4,500 yellow, blue, pink and red lights. 

It was previously called Torre Agbar because it was built as an office building for the Agbar water company. The design symbolised a water geyser sprouting from the deep sea.

Viewing deck
The Mirador Torre Glòries 360° degree public viewing deck opened in 2022. This is a public observation platform where you can enjoy views of Barcelona from a height of 125 metres.

Mirador tickets are €15. Buy tickets online. The observation deck is at 125 meters and has a 360° panoramic view of Barcelona.

Viewing deck opening times
10am to 7.30pm

History and designer
The tower was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, who also designed the nearby avant-garde Poblenou park. Jean Nouvelis is quoted as saying of the Glòries tower "This tower might be a distant echo of old Catalan obsessions carried on the winds that blow in from Montserrat" Nouvel says that the construction is inspired by the most representative symbols of Catalan culture.

Inspiration for the tower came from the towers of the Sagrada Familia church by the Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and the distinctive pinnacles of the Montserrat mountain. The intended use of the tower was to be offices for the Agbar water company and this led Nouvel to the design using the metaphor of a water spout. The Agbar water company office formerly occupied the top half of the building. It is no longer occuped by the water company but the building office space is used by other companies, including Facebook. At one point there were plans to convert the building into a Hyatt hotel, but the hotel licence was not granted by the city council. 

Attractions nearby
Nearby attractions include DHUB Disseny Hub which is the Barcelona Design museum. Also nearby is the Barcelona flea market Encants Vells and the shopping mall Westfield Glories.

Pictures Torre Glòries
Construction trivia

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Last Updated on Friday, 31 May 2024 17:38
 
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