Everything is ready to open the 30th floor of the emblematic Torres Glòries to the public. The listed real estate company Merlin Properties, owner of the building, has completed the works to launch a viewpoint that will offer privileged views of the city starting next May 20. Tickets to enjoy the recreational experience will go on sale online on Wednesday, April 27, for a price starting from 15 euros, depending on the modality. All visits will include an audio guide service in 6 languages (Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian, and German) and free Wi-Fi connection.
According to Mediapro Exhibitions, the company that developed the viewpoint and the accompanying exhibition proposal, the objective is to turn the new facility "into a cultural and leisure space of reference in the city of Barcelona". Located in the heart of 22@, the Mirador Torre Glòries will allow visitors to contemplate the city from 125 meters high and with 360° views. Visitors will ascend to the 30th floor of the skyscraper by means of a fast elevator, which will also be one of its attractions.
Mediapro highlights that the new attraction "reinterprets the concept of a traditional viewpoint," as it transforms it "into an innovative and multidisciplinary project that unites art, science, and technology" and "offers visitors a new, expanded view of the concept of a city." Thus, the viewpoint located in the tower's dome is not the only element that integrates the attraction; rather, the experience incorporates different spaces "that will help discover and understand Barcelona and its ecosystem." Before ascending to the top of the building, visitors can explore an exhibition space called Hipermirador Barcelona, where, through the union of art, technology, big data, and scientific dissemination, the city is presented as a living organism in constant change and transformation.
Once at the top, apart from enjoying the spectacular views of the city, one of the attractions of the viewpoint is a work of art suspended in the dome by contemporary artist Tomás Saraceno. According to the promoters, it is the only permanent, multi-sensory, and walkable artistic installation by this artist in Southern Europe and aims to invite reflection on cities and the interconnection that exists between all the elements that make up the urban ecosystem. Based in Berlin, StudioSaraceno's works have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and in museums in Europe, Asia, and America, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, or the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow), among others.
Bullet-shaped and inaugurated in 2005, the emblematic skyscraper designed by architects Jean Nouvel and Fermín Vázquez has become one of the icons of Barcelona's skyline. The listed real estate company Merlin Properties, led by Ismael Clemente, bought the former Agbar Tower for 142 million euros in early 2017 after a project to transform what was then the corporate headquarters of the water distribution group into a luxury hotel failed. After remodeling the different floors of the building, Merlin put the tower on the office rental market and from the beginning outlined the idea of transforming the dome into a viewpoint open to the public that would offer unique views of the city.
Prior to the Torre Glòries viewpoint, Mediapro Exhibitions had developed projects such as the CosmoCaixa Universe Room, the Camp Nou Experience, or Territorio Atleti, the museum of Club Atlético de Madrid, among others.