The Torre Glòries is the tallest building in Barcelona.

The Torre Glòries is one of the symbols of contemporary Barcelona. It is an enormous bullet-shaped cylinder building that towers above all of the other buildings in the city. The building was completed in 2005 but its original name was Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) which was derived from Aguas de Barcelona, the waterworks company that occupied the building. In 2017 the building was renamed to Torre Glòries.

The Torre Glòries is a 38 story skyscraper with a height of 144 meters (474 feet) tall and an area of about 30,000 square meters (323000 sq. ft.). The tower has an oval, almost circular base and the interior is an open plan without pillars. Since the tower was built for the water company it was designed to represent a geyser spouting out of the surrounding city.

Unique Architecture

The outer curtain wall is covered in different colored glass louvers which can be tilted at different angles. The color scheme changes from the reddish tones at the base to blues and whites at the top. The tower changes its color depending on the angle of the louvers.

Dusk to Night Transition

The tower is really beautiful at night when it is saturated with color. The building has a lighting system designed with more than 4,500 LED lamps that has made the building one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. The LED lighting system makes it possible to create an infinite number of color combinations and shapes on the building façade but I have only seen it in its traditional red and blue coloring.

The building is only lit for three (3) hours per night and only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Most of my follower know that one of my favorite times to photograph is from dusk to early night time. The final photos on this post are a series of photos taken as the evening transitioned into night. These photos highlight that the unique architecture and color scheme of the Torre Glòries is made more beautiful at night.

The Dust on My Shoes

I have always been attracted to the bright lights of the big cities. I like modern architecture, unique designs and bright colors. The Torre Glòries has all three of those components. My first sighting of the Torre Glòries was during the day time from Montjuïc Castle. Its size towered over all of the other buildings in Barcelona and I could tell that it was a unique building even from a distance. I didn’t get a chance to see it up close on that trip to Barcelona but it was high on my list of places to see when I returned on my next trip.

The Torre Glòries building during the day time is very attention grabbing because of its architectural shape and the unique color pattern but it is spectacular at night. The night time transformation of the building make it look like it is from a futuristic city.

Many people say that the building symbolizes a geyser reaching the sky above Barcelona. For me, being a kid from the 70’s it reminds me of a really huge lava lamp.

I travel to see things and have experiences that I can only have in those places. Many times I visit historical sites, beautiful nature, experiencing new cultures but I always look to see if there is a modern building worth checking out. Modern sites can be just as special as historic places.

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