Seemed to me like a bullet rising from the ground when I first saw it.This 38-story tower which is located near the Placa de les glories Catalanes, marks the gateway to the new technological district of Barcelona, Spain. Behind this outstanding work was the French Architect, Jean Nouvel working with a Spanish firm, B720 Arquitectos. This was built by Dragados. The name of the this tower was from the owner, the Agbar Group.
With just a look from the pictures, you can already imagine how huge this structure is. It has a total of 50, 693 square meters which is composed of offices, technical facilities, auditorium, parking lot, and other services. This also has 4 under ground levels.
The tower was opened by the King of Spain back in September 16, 2005 at a cost of 130 million euros. This was first owned by the multinational group, Agbar, but was bought in the mid 2007 by another large group, The Azurelau for 165 million euros.
With it’s striking shape, nicknames are often invented for it. From one of the interviews of Jean Nouvel, he described the Torre Agbar having the “phallic character”. He also said that the tower is, ” a distant echo of old catalan obsessions, carried on the winds that blow in from Montserrat.” He was also inspired by the famous architect Antonio Gaudi, particularly for this tower. On a first look, it might be mistaken as the work of Norman Foster- The Gherkin, with it’s somewhat same form.
The structure, in general has the materials of concrete and steel. While it’s outer appearance or the facade, has the materials of glass and aluminum. Combining different architectural concepts and features, this structure with other striking ones, forms again the word Modernism.
One of the features of this tower that I really found awesome was it’s nocturnal illumination with it’s 4,500 LED luminous devices.
It features a light blue for the concrete core under the glass and steel dome. But, all in all, it can create 16 million colors. And because of the LED devices, luminous images in the facade are seen. It also has temperature sensors that controls the opening and closing of the blinds that are in the facade of the building for reducing energy consumption from the air conditioning.
Since this tower houses the head office of a water utility company in Barcelona, Nouvel imagined it as a geyser sprouting from the deep sea.
For the construction of this tall structure, about 1170 workers were employed and for nearly 6 years this breathtaking tower then finished.
Some of the Brei-solei in the south facadeof the tower have photovoltaic
plates which generates electricity. The brei-solei is built out of 59, 619 pieces.
This tower was originally planned to have the height of 142 meters, but during the construction additional planning was made so now, it has a total of 144.44 meters in height.
5 days was how long the workers made each floor, with a floor to ceiling height of 2.65 to 3.05 meters.
Different inclinations and opacity of the glass alter the color balance of the tower. 25,000 meters cube of concrete and 250,000 pounds of steel were used.
This tower is composed of two concrete oval cylinders which are distant from each other.
The outer cylinder which has a thickness of 45 centimeters and a base of 25 centimeters, is covered by a dome of glass and steel which gives it the shape of a bullet. The inner cylinder however, measures 50 centimeters and a base of 30 centimeters. The top of the outer cylinder is composed of 4,500 windows. And in the top of the inner cylinder are the elevators, stairs, and other facilities.
The tower also has an auditorium that can host for about 316 people. This is part of the two underground floors of the tower. Other spaces in the underground floors are for parking and other services. While for the 34 floors which are above the ground, 28 of that are offices, 3 for technical plants, 1 for multipurpose rooms, 1 for the cafeteria, and 1 just for the viewing area which is just below the top of the tower.
With it’s shocking light effects, tall appearance, and an unusual shape, no doubt that this tower became very famous and became an icon for the city of Barcelona. The tower was one of the most visited sites in Spain, particularly in Barcelona and was meant to serve as models for tourist souvenirs which identifies Catalonia.
But of course like other modern style structures in some areas, negative criticisms were heard. Some critiques said that it doesn’t follow and it is just not fit for the architectural style in Barcelona. But over time, it was fully accepted. Controversies also came up with regards to the tower. Back in April 2007 a worker was said to have a disease related to static electricity build up and lack of moisture, the Semicircular Lipoatrophy.
Recognitions for the tower were also given. One of the many awards that was given to this tower was the best national and international project during the Real Estate fair Barcelona Meeting Point.
I really liked this structure. I have mistaken this as the Gherkin when I first heard it and searched it on the net. It really looked a lot like Norman Foster’s work. But for me, I like this more than that of Foster’s. Especially when i saw some pictures of it taken during night time, i loved the colors that’s seen on the facade. My translation of why they put lights on the facade, and why the colors changes, is that because since it is a water company and based from Jean Nouvel’s idea for this (the geyser- sprouting from the deep sea), it’s like a fountain- the movement of the water changes and goes into many different directions as it moves upward.
I would love to see this tower in person. I could just stare at it for so long, especially at night!
Camillebi's Blog 
Posted on August 25, 2010
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