Torre Glòries

Torre Agbar
Torre Agbar, 6 January 2007
General information
Location	Barcelona, Spain
Coordinates	41°24′12″N 02°11′22″E
Opening	June 2005
Cost	US$130,000,000
Owner	Grupo Inmobiliario Layetana
Height
Roof	144.44 m (473.88 ft)
Top floor	128.3 m (421 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	33
Floor area	51,483 m2 (554,158 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	9
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Jean Nouvel
Engineer	Brufau & A. Obiol
References

The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower, is a 21st-century skyscraper at Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm b720 Arquitectos and built by Dragados. It opened in June 2005 and was inaugurated officially by the King of Spain on 16 September 2005. The Torre Agbar is located in the Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona and is named after its owners, the Agbar Group, a holding company whose interests include the Barcelona water company Aigües de Barcelona.

Design

According to Jean Nouvel, the shape of the Torre Agbar was inspired by Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona, and by the shape of a geyser rising into the air. Jean Nouvel, in an interview, described it as having a phallic character. As a result of its unusual shape, the building is known by several nicknames, such as "el supositori" (the suppository), "l'obús" (the shell) and some more scatological ones. It is also somewhat similar in shape to Sir Norman Foster's 30 St. Mary Axe in London, often called "the Gherkin". It has 30,000 m² (323,000 ft²) of above-ground office space, 3,210 m² (34,500 ft²) of technical service floors with installations and 8,351 m² (90,000 ft²) of services, including an auditorium. The Agbar Tower measures 144.4 m (473.75 ft) in height and consists of 38 storeys, including four underground levels.

File:Torre agbar leds.jpg

Details of the LED luminous devices

Its design combines a number of different architectural concepts, resulting in a striking structure built with reinforced concrete, covered with a facade of glass, and over 4,500 window openings cut out of the structural concrete. The building stands out in Barcelona; it is the third tallest building in Barcelona, only after the Arts Hotel and the Mapfre Tower, both 154 m (505.25 ft).

A defining feature of the building is its nocturnal illumination. It has 4,500 LED luminous devices that allow generation of luminous images in the façade. In addition, it has temperature sensors in the outside of the tower that regulate the opening and closing of the glass blinds of the façade of the building, reducing the consumption of energy for air conditioning. It will house the head office of the Aigües de Barcelona Group (Spanish: "Aguas de Barcelona", English: "Waters of Barcelona").

Gallery

• 
  Construction work of Torre Agbar, 11 April 2004
• 
  Torre Agbar, 12 September 2007
• 
  Torre Agbar and Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, as seen from a nearby office building, 25 April, 2008
• 
  Torre Agbar façade
• 
  Alain Robert climbing Torre Agbar, 9 October 2007
• The courtyard of Torre Agbar
  The courtyard of Torre Agbar
• Torre Agbar LED luminous devices by day
  Torre Agbar LED luminous devices by day
• 
  Torre Agbar by night, 30 April 2007
• 
  Torre Agbar by night, 3 February 2007

In popular culture

The Torre Agbar is a featured locale in the 2009 video game Wheelman, published by Midway Games.

See also

• 30 St Mary Axe, also known as "The Gherkin", and occasionally as The Swiss Re Tower, is an architecturally similar building in London which opened a year and a half earlier, in April 2004.
• Alain Robert, a famous climber who has scaled the building.

External links

• Information on the Torre Agbar in Spanish
• Torre Agbar collection of articles.
• Torre Agbar web page (Macromedia Flash)
• Technical information and photos Spanish