The Vasco da Gama Tower ( pt, Torre Vasco da Gama, ) is a
lattice tower
A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding vertical framework tower. This construction is widely used in transmission towers carrying high voltage electric power lines, in radio masts and towers (a self-radiating tower or as a support for a ...
with skyscraper in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of
Parque das Nações
The Parque das Nações (; en, Park of the Nations), colloquially known as Expo (as the site of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition), is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in eastern Lisbon, Parque das Naçõe ...
, the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. Built on the north bank of the
Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...
river, it is named after the Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
(the first European to arrive in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
by sail, in 1498). The tower portion is the tallest structure in Lisbon.
History
![Hotel Myriad (9921720383)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Hotel_Myriad_%289921720383%29.jpg)
The tower was built in 1998 for the
Expo '98
Expo '98 (1998 Lisbon World Exposition) was an official specialised World's Fair held in Lisbon, Portugal from Friday, 22 May to Wednesday, 30 September 1998. The theme of the fair was "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future", chosen in part to c ...
World's Fair.
At the base of the tower was a three-story building that served as the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
Pavilion during the Expo.
While they were open, the tower was the
tallest structure in Portugal open to the public (excluding bridges).
The base of the building was to be leased for office space after the closing of the Expo, but never found tenants. Instead, it was used for one-off events, like the world premiere of the new
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
car in 2001.
Both the observation deck and the restaurant were closed in October 2004.
In 2006, the tower was climbed by
Alain Robert
Alain Robert (born as Robert Alain Philippe on 7 August 1962) is a French rock climber and urban climber. Known as "the French Spider-Man" (after the comic character Spider-Man) or "the Human Spider", Robert is famous for his free solo climbing ...
, a solo
urban climber
Buildering (also known as edificeering, urban climbing, structuring, skywalking, boulding, or stegophily) describes the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering", sometimes misspelled bil ...
, who was sponsored by
Optimus Telecommunications (a Portuguese mobile phone company) as part of a mobile marketing campaign.
Parque Expo received permission to expand along the riverside in order to build a 20-floor, 178-room luxury hotel, a plan by Portuguese architect Nuno Leónidas.
The base of the tower was demolished between July and September 2007, paving the way for the construction of the 5-star ''Myriad'' hotel, which opened in 2012. In 2018, the panoramic restaurant ''Fifty Seconds'' (by
Martín Berasategui
Martín Berasategui Olazábal is a Spanish chef expert in Basque cuisine and owner of an eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (Gipuzkoa), Spain. Since 2001 it has been awarded three Michelin stars. He holds twelve stars in total, more than any ...
) opened in the space that was previously the observation deck. Within a year, it received its first
Michelin star
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
.
Architecture
The architects of the tower were Leonor Janeiro, Nick Jacobs and SOM (
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...
) and assembled by engineering company
Martifer
Martifer SGPS, S.A. is a family group based in Oliveira de Frades, Portugal, with over 3,000 employees, focusing its activity on the metal construction and renewable energy areas.
The company launched its first operations in 1990 in the metal s ...
.
[
The architects were inspired by the form of a ]caravel
The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...
and its sail, supported by fundamental volumes at its base.[ This base, enters the river like the bow of the boat, supported by pillars forming a terrace.][ This area is occupied by exposition spaces and vestibule with access to panoramic elevators that intersperse the tower to the restaurant and viewing platform.][ The tower is defined by a vertical "mast" and a metallic, tubular "sail", surmounted by a platform forming a "crow's nest", corresponding to the rotating restaurant and visitors viewing area.][
]
See also
* List of tallest buildings in Lisbon
Lisbon is the Largest urban areas of the European Union, 11th most populous urban area in the European Union, with a population of 2.7 million. City and its metropolitan area has four skyscrapers above and total about 20 skyscrapers above ...
* Trump Ocean Club Hotel and Tower, skyscraper of similar appearance in Panama City, Panama (sail)
* W Barcelona
The W Barcelona Hotel, popularly known as the ''Hotel Vela'' (''Sail Hotel'') due to its shape, is a building designed by Ricardo Bofill located in the Barceloneta district of Barcelona, in the expansion of the Port of Barcelona. The hotel is man ...
, skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
* Spinnaker Tower
The Spinnaker Tower is a landmark observation tower in Portsmouth, England. It is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, which was supported by a National Lottery grant. The tower's design was chosen by Portsmouth reside ...
, skyscraper of similar appearance in Portsmouth, United Kingdom (sail)
* Burj Al Arab
The Burj Al Arab ( ar, برج العرب, ''Arab Tower'') is a luxury hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Managed by Jumeirah hotel group, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height ...
, skyscraper of similar appearance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (sail)
* Elite Plaza Business Center
Elite Plaza Business Center, also referred to as the Khorenatsi 15, is a business center in the financial center of Armenia's capital Yerevan opened in February 2013. With its 18 floors and 21,700 sq.m. of office space Elite Plaza is the larges ...
, skyscraper of similar appearance in Yerevan, Armenia (sail)
* Sail Tower
The Sail Tower ( he, בית המפרש, ''Beit HaMifras''), officially District Government Center - Building B ( he, קרית הממשלה המחוזית חיפה - בניין ב) is a skyscraper and government building in Haifa, Israel. It is par ...
, skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
References
Notes
Sources
*
External links
Vasco da Gama Tower Hotel
*
Vasco da Gama Tower at Factoría Urbana: Photos and technical information
{{Authority control
Towers in Portugal
Towers with revolving restaurants
Towers completed in 1998
Tourist attractions in Lisbon
Skyscrapers in Lisbon
Skyscraper hotels
Modernist architecture in Portugal
World's fair architecture in Lisbon
Parque das Nações