Stock Photo - Europe, Spain, Barcelona The Torre Agbar Catalan pronunciation: ´tor? ?g´bar is a 38-story skyscraper / tower located between Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Badajoz, near Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, which marks the gateway to the new technological district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm b720 Fermin Vazquez Arquitectos and built by Dragados. The Torre Agbar is located in the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona and is named after its owners, the Agbar Group, a holding company whose interests include the Barcelona water company Aigües de Barcelona. The tower measures a total of 50, 693 square metres, of which 30, 000 are offices, 3, 210 technical facilities, 8, 132 services, including an auditorium, and 9, 132 square metres for parking. It cost 130 million Euros to build. It opened in June 2005 and was officially opened by King Juan Carlos I on 16 September 2005. It is one in a collection of High-tech architecture examples in Barcelona. The building is owned by the multinational group Agbar which has its corporate headquarters in the building and that takes up most of the floors, renting the remainder. The Agbar Tower was acquired in March 2010 for 165 million euro, after reaching an agreement with its former owner, the investment group Azurelau.5 Azurelau previously had bought the property in mid-2007. The purchase price was not disclosed. According to Jean Nouvel, Torre Agbar is intended to recall the shape of a geyser rising into the air. It was inspired by Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona. In an interview, he described the tower as having a phallic character.67 As a result of its unusual shape, the building is known by several nicknames, such as ´el supositori´ the suppository, ´l´obús´ the shell and some more scatological ones.6 It is also somewhat similar in shape to Sir Norman Foster´s 30 St. Mary Axe in London, often called ´the Gherkin´. It has 30, 000 m² 323, 000 ft² of above-ground office space, 3, 210 m² 34, 500 ft² of technical service floors with installations and 8, 351 m² 90, 000 ft² of services, including an auditorium.