El Barco (The Ship) is a residential apartment tower in Albufereta,
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...
, Spain. It is formally called Torre Vistamar de la Albufereta, meaning "Albufereta Sea View Tower".
El Barco was one of a cluster of buildings erected in the former village of Albufereta for "
Pied-Noirs", or residents from France and other European countries, in
Francoist Spain.
It was completed in 1963.
The building was designed by Juan Guardiola, inspired by the
Pirelli Tower
Pirelli Tower (Italian: ''Grattacielo Pirelli'' – also called "''Pirellone''", literally "Big Pirelli") is a 32- storey, skyscraper in Milan, Italy. The base of the building is , with a length of and a width of . The construction used approxi ...
designed by
Giò Ponti in Milan.
It takes its common name from its boat-shaped floor plan. El Barco is one of the most distinctive buildings of Alicante.
It has an unusual lattice-work facade protecting the rear wall and windows, which was preserved during renovations completed in 2011.
As of 2013 El Barco ranked in height as #370 in Europe and #34 in Spain.
At El Barco is the second tallest building in Alicante, after
Estudiotel Alicante at . The third tallest is
Gran Sol at .
In December 2006 the building was effectively isolated from vehicle access when the ''Sol Naciente '' access road collapsed,
requiring construction of a new retaining wall along the beach.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barco, El
Residential buildings completed in 1963
Buildings and structures in Alicante