• Work to lay the foundations of this polemic building has begun after
seven years of negotiations
• ETheTown Hall demanded changes to be made to reduce the height of
the building to 88 metres, and the State wanted the building moving
back 20 metres from the coastline.
The developers of this unique and polemic hotel, in the shape of an open sail blowing in the wind, planned to be built by Ricardo Bofill have finally started work on the first stages of the towers'''''''''''''''' foundations after seven long and troubled years. The building will be 88 metres high, and not that of the originally planned 160 metres. The height has been reduced due to strong opposition from the Town Hall saying that 160 metres high would spoil the visual harmony of the seafront façade of the city.
The removal and compacting of the earth will be carried out by the temporary uniting of FCC Construction, Comsa, Sacresa and Obrascon Huarte Lain, to whom the APB in September 2003 awarded the concession of the construction and exploitation of the complex , after in May the APD had to declare the open bidding as a failure, and started a process of negotiations.
A Multi-million Investment.
The project not only includes the hotel, but also an adjacent triangular building intended for offices, services and an underground car park with a capacity for 900 vehicles. The forecasted investment being 157 million euros.
After resolving the discrepancies which emerged from the Town Hall, the building has had to be adapted due to the new state port laws. These laws require that all constructions on the coastline are at a minimum of no less than 20 metres from the seafront. The release of this space has not affected the architectonic configuration, but has reduced its size somewhat, making the project more compact.
Allegations.
The special plan for which construction is permitted for the new river mouth project comprises of a surface area of 130.000 square metres of which 90.000 is buildable area with 42,000 assigned for the hotel, 25,500 for the office block and 4,500 for recreational installations. The allegations presented by the Town Hall regarding the project, forced the promoters to modify their initial plan.
Work on the project begins to become reality almost seven years after Bofill presented his plan for it on 13 July, 1999. He had the support of APB, Pere Macias the adviser for public works and Jordi Pujol, who was the President of the Generalitat at the time. The initial idea received that very day criticism of the vice mayor, Xavier Casas, who described the hotel as too overwhelming.
29.05.2006 - El Periódico
