The communications tower is also known as the Torre
Telefonica after the company that owns the tower or the Torre Calatrava after
the designer of the tower, the celebrated Valencian architect Santiago
Calatrava.
Calatrava designed a gracious and slender steel
tower that soars 136 meters high (446 ft). The tower is set on a round brick
platform which holds the telecommunications equipment. The design of the arched
entrance to the platform is based on the shape of a human eye. The base is
covered with ceramic shards, a mosaic technique known as trencadis. This
technique was often used by the Modernista architects; examples can be found
all around Barcelona and in particular at Gaudi's Parc Guell.
The pylon, set at an angle of 17 degrees, is
connected to a ring-shaped element which holds the transmitting dishes. Like
many of Calatrava's works, the whole tower is sparkling white.
