Turó de Vilana, Tibidabo,
Tibidabo

The Olympian demand for telecommunications led to the construction of this remarkable structure high on the mountain above the city. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, and completed in June 1992, it has a public viewing platform offering unrivalled views.

Not only are the views from the tower astonishing, but so too is its immense structure. When confronted with the technical requirement to build a communications tower 288 metres high, original calculations predicted a concrete shaft with a massive 25 metres diameter at its base. Concerns for the impact of such a building on an area of extreme natural beauty forced a creative rethink, and a pioneering new construction method -- using a hybrid concrete and steel braced tube -- was developed. This meant that an elegant new design, with a main shaft only 4.5 metres in diameter and a cradle of 13 suspended platforms (weighing 3,000 tons), gradually appeared on the city skyline, slowly winched up into position using steel cables.

A visit to the tower confirms its genius, and a small exhibition in the visitor's reception area records its construction.

contributor: Nigel Hayler