The rock tower is situated in the middle of the city.

Hoping to strike a balance with the city’s other famous landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia, Torre Agbar and the nearby Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona Rock hostel is largely inspired by nature and the mountains near the city. With a facade made from stone sourced locally just like the other famous works, the rocks, crevices, ledges and cracks provide space for greenery and natural habitats for birds. The tower will look more like a natural feature than a skyscraper and would become a new landmark for the city.

The rock slabs will be mounted on stilts of reinforced concrete and mounted with gaps between them and the rest of the building to encourage natural ventilation. Additionally, the rocks will provide thermal mass to soak up the heat during the day to keep the inside cool and release heat back to the hotel at night.

Inside the rock tower, the hostel will have 50 rooms with windows, a swimming pool, a spa, a gym, a cinema, a pub, shops and climbing walls for beginners. The exterior of the tower is designed explicitly for more advanced rock climbers, who will chance to spend the night on the wall using port-o-ledges and other specialty equipment. Using the tower for recreation will make the hostel an attraction and destination beyond just a place to spend the night. On top of the tower, climbers, guests of the hostel and visitors can enjoy the spectacular views.

+ UGO Architecture

Via Designboom

One Response to “Towering Rock Hostel Provides Habitats For Rock Climbers and Birds In Barcelona”

yrag01 says:

May 23, 2011 at 11:52 pm

“Although not a winner, we’re pretty thrilled with the idea of a tower made expressly to be climbed”

Yeah, I’m sure there’s absolutely NO chance that a climber could slip and fall to their death, or worse land on a pedestrian, even though parts of the building look like it’s hanging over the sidewalk.