Torre Glòries

The Glòries Tower, and its lookout, is one of the symbols of contemporary Barcelona, an enormous bullet-shaped cylinder emerging from the ground and pointing skywards, with a glass surface in which the colours of the Mediterranean are reflected.

Barcelona's new iconic landmark is the result of a collaboration between the Atelier Jean Nouvel and the Barcelona-based b720 studio, and was built between 1999 and 2005. . Like a geyser bubbling up from the depths of the earth, the Glòries Tower, has an eye-catching outline. It stands 144 metres tall and provides an imposing observation deck over the new Barcelona. The French architect, Jean Nouvel – who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2008 in recognition of his excellence –, took into account the building's location when he designed it, and this is why its shape is reminiscent of the mountain of Montserrat or the Gaudiesque forms of the Sagrada Família. He also harnessed solar power and groundwater to reduce energy consumption.

The tower has an oval, almost circular base and the interior is spacious and open-plan without pillars. The outer curtain wall is clad in different-coloured glass louvers which can be tilted at different angles. The colour scheme changes from the warmer reddish tones at the base to cooler blues and whites at the top. At night, when the tower is lit up and saturated with colour, it is a beautiful sight.

The building has a lighting system designed by Yann Kersalé, with more than 4,500 LED lamps that have made it one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. Some of the 60,000 membranes that cover the façade contain photovoltaic cells enabling the building to store its own energy.

The LED lighting system makes it possible to create an infinite number of colour combinations and shapes across the entire façade. They have made the Glòries Tower the focus of many a celebration.

The Glòries tower, formerly Agbar, participates in the Llum BCN, the Festival of Light Arts that takes place during the month of February in the city of Barcelona