H Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower (Richard Rogers)

The Hotel Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, in the neighbourhood of Bellvitge in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and near the airport, is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. The project was designed by the British architect Richard Rogers and completed in 2006. He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize the following year. The hotel consists of a 29-storey tower and a ground-floor section housing a conference centre and fitness centre. The two sections are connected by a glass-sided lobby with a sloping roof. The tower is a rectangular prism with glass sides, which is subdivided into two segments that can be distinguished by their different forms and structures. The lowest section of the tower consists of sturdy concrete columns braced by red steel tubing. The upper section features a grid of sunshades, which are also painted red. There is a dome with a glass roof on the top of the hotel that houses a restaurant. It boasts superlative views of the city and is the most eye-catching element of the building. The language of the building and the outer staircases are trademarks of Rogers' architecture.