El Barco, Alicante

El Barco
Alternative names Torre Vistamar de la Albufereta
General information
Address Carrer Sol Naciente 18[1]
Town or city Albufereta, Alicante
Country Spain
Coordinates 38°21′39″N 0°26′59″W / 38.360711°N 0.449646°W / 38.360711; -0.449646Coordinates: 38°21′39″N 0°26′59″W / 38.360711°N 0.449646°W / 38.360711; -0.449646
Height 111 metres (364 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 30

El Barco (The Ship) is a residential apartment tower in Albufereta, Alicante, Spain. It is formally called Torre Vistamar de la Albufereta, meaning "Albufereta Sea View Tower".[1]

El Barco was one of a cluster of buildings erected in the former village of Albufereta for "Pied-Noirs", or residents from France and other European countries, during the Franco regime.[2] It was completed in 1963.[3] The building was designed by Juan Guardiola, inspired by the Pirelli Tower designed by Giò Ponti in Milan. It takes its common name from its boat-shaped floor plan. El Barco is one of the most distinctive buildings of Alicante. It has an unusual lattice-work facade protecting the rear wall and windows, which was preserved during renovations completed in 2011.[4]

As of 2013 El Barco ranked in height as #370 in Europe and #34 in Spain.[5] At 111 metres (364 ft) El Barco is the second tallest building in Alicante, after Estudiotel Alicante at 117 metres (384 ft). The third tallest is Gran Sol at 97 metres (318 ft).

In December 2006 the building was effectively isolated from vehicle access when the Sol Naciente access road collapsed, requiring construction of a new retaining wall along the beach.[6]

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.