Agbar Tower (Glòries Tower)

Jean Nouvel – Torre Agbar in Barcelona-Spain, 2005

The Glòries Tower, previously called Agbar Tower (acronym for Aguas de Barcelona), is a skyscraper located near the Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona.
Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, was inaugurated on 16 September 2005, although it had already been open since June 2005, as part of a larger project to renovate and redevelop the area surrounding Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, such as the new large interline metro station or the underground roundabout of Avinguda Meridiana.

According to Jean Nouvel, the shape of the tower was inspired by the Montserrat reliefs surrounding Barcelona and the shape of a geyser of water rising towards the sky.

The building has 30.000 m² dedicated to offices, 3.210 m² of services and technical installations, and another 8.350 m² for various services, including an auditorium.
The Tower is 144 meters high, with 38 floors, 4 of which are underground. It is the third tallest building in the city after the Hotel Arts skyscraper and the Mapfre Tower. 
The main materials used in the construction of the building are concrete, which comprises the structure of the tower, and aluminum and glass in the form of 59.619 strips of painted sheet metal in different colors, which cover the approximately 16.000 mXNUMX of external surface. In addition, the glass has different inclinations and opacities that, combined with the different shades of aluminum, alter the chromatic balance of the tower depending on the time of day and the season of the year.

The Agbar Tower has 4.500 light devices that use LED technology and allow the creation of light images across the entire surface of the building. It also has external temperature sensors that automatically regulate the opening and closing of the building's glass shutters, thus reducing energy consumption for air conditioning.