W Barcelona Hotel

W Barcelona Hotel, located on the new entrance of Barcelona’s Port appears as a modern icon rising above the Mediterranean sea, and is the landmark of this new area to be developed with high-end retail, office and entertainment venues.

photography by © Ricardo Bofill

A sail-shaped building on a 10 hectares land claimed from the sea, is included in an ambitious urban renovation plan of Barcelona coastline. W Barcelona Hotel is a five-star hotel with 480 rooms, 67 suites, a roof top bar, large spa, indoor and outdoor pool, several food and beverage concepts and a retail store.

photography by © Ricardo Bofill

The closest volume to the sea is a thin building 105 meters high perpendicular to the dike (1 underground level, 1 ground floor level and 26 storeys). The reflecting façade of silver glass blends with the colors of the sky and the sparkles of the sea. Its allegoric shape is a reference point. This volume is inserted in the low atrium building, the lobby of which reveals views of the sea and enjoys zenith natural light.

photography by © Ricardo Bofill

Public functions are accommodated under a platform conceived as two huge terraces. A big congress room with a large window over the sea breaks with its volume the horizontal lines of the base of the building.

photography by © Ricardo Bofill

Project Info
Architects: Ricardo Bofill
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Project Directors: Ricardo Bofill & Jean Pierre Carniaux
Architectural Construction director: José Maria Rocías
Area: 42.818 m2
Year: 2010
Type: Hotel
Photographs: Courtesy of Ricardo Bofill