The Telefónica tower transforms into Diagonal One at the hands of the Filipino group Emperador

News in the first numbers of Avenida Diagonal, in the Fórum area, where the new Antares Barcelona Tower already stands majestically and the interior remodeling of the Diagonal Zero Zero Tower, better known as Telefónica Tower, which has now been renamed Diagonal One Tower, has finished.

The name change is one of the decisions adopted by the tower's new owner, the winery group Emperador, owned by billionaire Andrew L. Tan, also known as the Filipino brandy king and owner of well-known Spanish brands from the Marco de Jerez such as Fundador, Terry, and Espléndido. Through its subsidiary Emperador Properties, the Asian holding company bought the Diagonal One Tower from Telefónica in May 2019. In its first investment in Barcelona, the acquisition was estimated at around 150 million euros, a price slightly above the approximately 130 million that Telefónica paid for the building to the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona in 2015.

The tower, covered in white aluminum and glass, was designed by Estudi Massip-Bosch Arquitectes (EMBA) and is characterized by the peculiar geometry of its floors, as it has a very acute vertex on the side facing Barcelona and a very obtuse one on the dorsal facade, which significantly changes the perspective of the view.

Emperador has invested more than two million euros in the renovation of the common areas of the office skyscraper, which is 110 meters high and has 23 floors, with a total area of 26,577 square meters for rent. According to the investment group, the remodeling allows offering new services to tenants, such as a restaurant area and parking for new urban mobility vehicles, in addition to changing rooms. The investment has also been used to obtain Well and Bream international certifications.

Telefónica, which has its headquarters in Catalonia in the building, remains the main tenant of the Diagonal One Tower, which now also has a floor enabled with a coworking space. "We are starting a new stage focused on the relaunch of the asset after the covid-19 crisis; the new identity and the adaptations carried out position it as a strategic building in 22@ to host new companies that are looking for locations in the technological hub," highlights Eduardo Corral, executive of Emperador Properties.

This real estate company also owns the Torre Castellana Emperador, in Madrid, until now known as Torre Espacio and considered the fourth tallest tower in Spain, with 235 meters high and 57 floors. Emperador bought it in 2015 from the Villar Mir group, which also sold it 49% of Caleido, the fifth tower of the emblematic Castellana skyscraper complex, which has just been inaugurated and houses the new campus of the Instituto de Empresa.

The Emperador group bought the Spanish winery Fundador in 2015 and in 2017 also acquired Garvey. That same year, in alliance with the family business González Byass, it acquired the Domecq and Pedro Domecq brands from the French multinational Pernod Ricard.

Next to Torre Diagonal One, the construction of Torre Antares Barcelona has also been completed, the first residential building signed in Spain by the French architect Odile Decq, which stands out for its geometric shapes and the red color of the upper floors, which will house the most expensive duplexes and penthouses in the building. The skyscraper, with 26 floors and about 90 apartments, is owned by Shaftesbury and markets the homes with a starting price of 850,000 euros.