The Agbar Tower
The Agbar Tower in Barcelone was built over a period of 5 years (1999-2004). His construction marks an other phase in the development of the Diagonal Boulevard, which is the main axis linking the city center to the sea. The 142m skyscraper was designed by the architects Jean Nouvel and Fermin Vazquez and this is not the tallest building in Barcelone (the twin towers of the Olympic Port are taller). It’s shape is not actually circular in plan but slightly elliptical, so we can say that the structure consists of two almost cylinders. The inner one is made of glass and aluminum and hosts the elevators and the stairs. The space between the two oval-shaped structures has no supporting elements and can be used for a wide variety of purposes, from offices to restaurants. The external wall is a concrete structure penetrated by 4400 windows made of 92 X 92 cm squares. In fact, Nouvel abandoned the acres of gridded glass that are the signature of skyscraper office towers, opening only about a fourth of the panels in an apparently random pattern (but we have to notice that the building has bigger windows facing the sea and The Sagrada Familia). The facade’s organic look is completed not only by 41,000 pieces of aluminum but also by 40 different color hues .Their game reminds us of Gaudi’s many masterpieces. The building is draped by a sunshade system designed and positioned to maximize the protection against sunlight. The double facade is intended to make the building equally efficient, maintaining comfortable temperature in hot and cold weather by using its own structure, which acts as a skin. This “Bio-architecture” also created a highly original structure for the Barcelona skyline.
In the square surrounding the building one can find, on the colored concrete seats, facts about the tower.
The tower’s peculiar form was not at all accepted the first time it’s concept was presented to the public. It actually created an uproar and, as it’s innovative design, was met with a lot of resistance and opposition. Nowadays, Barcelona’s citizens have grown accustomed to its strange shape, and its presence is no longer decried or questioned.
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