Barcelona gains a viewpoint at the foot of the W hotel

Despite the W Barcelona hotel being an omnipresent element on the city's seafront, one of its facades remained hidden until now from anyone walking in its vicinity. Bordering Sant Sebastià beach, passersby would encounter the dike and had to turn back and pass in front of the hotel to continue the route and reach the new breakwater. That interruption of the path has been resolved with the construction of stairs and a walkway over the breakwater, which allows a direct view of the W hotel's face that looks directly out to sea.

The work was carried out by Nova Bocana Barcelona, the concessionaire company for this port area, and involved an investment of 1.5 million euros. Its general director, Javier Casado, highlighted that the brand-new promenade will allow a new tribute to the work of the recently deceased Ricardo Bofill and appreciate it from a new perspective, with the discovery of the maritime facade, to which the Barcelona architect "dedicated much enthusiasm and effort."

The walkway has been accompanied by a viewpoint from which to contemplate the entire seafront, from the cable car and Barceloneta beach, passing through the Mapfre Towers, to the Tres Xemeneies. "Today we open a new street with views of Barcelona," celebrated the president of the port, Damià Calvet, at the inauguration of the space. "And from where the America's Cup can also be seen in a privileged way," he added.

The architect Carmelo Zappulla, based in Barcelona for 20 years, was in charge of devising this solution. "It's more than just a staircase, it's a place of connection and a facade for the promenade," he stated. From the External Reference studio, Zappulla has signed multiple designs in the city, especially in the restaurant sector, such as Alkimia or the new Casa Moritz in Rambla Catalunya. This has been his first urbanistic foray.

It has not been an easy intervention, Casado remarked, considering that the promenade has been built on top of the dike. The project consists of a staircase and an elevated reinforced concrete walkway supported by a structure of beams and pillars. A visible facade from the promenade, covered with native plants and a lighting system, is added. All of this is integrated into the environment, while also being designed to guarantee maximum resistance to storms. A system has also been included to recycle the gray water generated by the W hotel and use it to water the vegetation that has been incorporated into the new structure. No alternative has been considered for people in wheelchairs or with other mobility problems, who will have to continue going around in front of the hotel. The installation of an elevator is expected to be evaluated if there is sufficient demand, taking into account that there is no space to build a ramp.