Torre de Comunicacions de Montjuïc

The Montjuïc Communications Tower inside the Olympic Ring was completed in 1992 by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Built as a TV transmitter for the 1992 Olympics, its sculptural, curved silhouette is a far cry from the usual structures built for this purpose. Standing 136 m high, its unusual shape is inspired by the figure of a Greek athlete and consists of a sloping concrete shaft clad in white metal sheeting and braced at just three points. At the top of the shaft, it opens out into two arms that support a semicircular ring and a vertical element, or needle, which appears to be floating in the air. The shaft is aligned with the summer solstice in Barcelona and tilted in such a way that the tower also acts as a sundial. There is a cylindrical platform at the foot of the tower, which is connected to the base of the shaft by a fluted, sea-shell-like structure covered in shards of broken-tile mosaic and surrounded by water. This is an example of the trencadís technique, which is Calatrava's nod to Antoni Gaudí's legacy. There is an arch enclosed by metal railings at the rear and on the lower part of the cylinder. This is an ingenious hydraulic door, which, when open, folds in on itself, creating an eye-catching effect similar to the one used by the architect in his other projects.