Torre Aqualina (Spanish, ''Aqualina Tower'') is a high-rise residential building completed in 2009 in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

, province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located on the corner of San Luis and Alem Streets, in Barrio Martín, a few blocks south of the

National Flag Memorial The National Flag Memorial (Spanish, ''Monumento Nacional a la Bandera'') in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River. It was inaugurated on June 20, 1957, the anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgra ...

. The tower is 125 m (410 ft) high, and includes 40 stories devoted to luxury apartments, and 2 basement floors, with a total area of 14,700 m². The apartments feature views of the city center and the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

. The Torre Aqualina was completed in late 2009, and was until the completion of the Dolfines Guaraní towers, the tallest building in Rosario, as well as in Argentina outside the city of Buenos Aires.

Design and construction

Torre Aqualina was designed by

Mario Roberto Álvarez Mario Roberto Álvarez (November 14, 1913 – November 5, 2011)
was an Ar ...

, a Buenos Aires-born architect who also designed (among others) the Le Parc tower (the tallest residential building in Argentina), the seat of the Rosario branch of the

Banco de la Nación Argentina Banco de la Nación Argentina ( en, Bank of the Argentine Nation) is a national bank in Argentina, and the largest in the country's banking sector. History The Bank of the Argentine Nation was founded on 18 October 1891 by President Carlos Pel ...

, the intelligent building of the

Rosario Board of Trade The Rosario Board of Trade ( es, Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario, ''BCR'') is a non-profit making association based in Rosario, in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina. Founded on August 18, 1884, it serves as a forum for the conduct of trade negoti ...

, and the airports of Neuquén and Córdoba.''La Capital'', 26 November 2004
''Mario Álvarez: "La torre Aqualina será armónica con su entorno"''
The building was developed by the Rosario-based firm OP Developers, and the construction contract was awarded to Constructora Sudamericana.

Criticism

Since the project was first presented, in 2003, Aqualina has been criticized by the citizens in its neighbourhood. The builders have assured that the building will harmonize with its environment. During the construction of the tower, two judicial rulings (similar to

injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...

s) were interposed to stop the works, reacting to demands that an environmental study was needed to assess the impact of the tower on the surroundings. In 2005, an accusation was also filed against the Municipality of Rosario because it had let the works proceed in spite of these rulings. The case went up the judicial ladder until, in May 2007, the Supreme Court of Justice of Santa Fe Province ruled that an environmental impact study of Aqualina was not necessary.La Capital, 12 May 2007
''Aqualina no necesita un estudio ambiental''
/ref>

References

{{reflist Residential skyscrapers in Argentina Buildings and structures in Rosario, Santa Fe Residential buildings completed in 2009