Barceloneta waterfront, Spain · Opened 2009
Ricardo Bofill's sail on the waterfront, the building the city calls Hotel Vela. A 26-storey, 105-metre tower clad in reflective glass, set on land reclaimed from the sea at the edge of the port.
It opened in October 2009 as W's first hotel in Western Europe, and the anchor of the city's coastline renewal. The brand turns outward here, toward the sea, the rooftop, and the crowd, with the architecture carrying most of the argument.
Architecture by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura
