Puerta de Europa
Encyclopedia
The Puerta de Europa towers (Gate of Europe or just Torres KIO) are twin office buildings in Madrid
. The towers have a height of 114 m (374 ft) and have 26 floors. They were constructed from 1989 to 1996. The Puerta de Europa is the second tallest twin towers in Spain after the Torres de Santa Cruz
in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
.
They were designed by the American architects Philip Johnson
and John Burgee
, built by Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas
and commissioned in 1996
by the Kuwait Investment Office
(hence their initial name "Torres KIO" or "KIO Towers"). Leslie E. Robertson
Associates, RLLP New York (LERA) provided structural engineering services. Each building is 115 m tall with an inclination of 15°, making them the first inclined skyscrapers in the world. They are located near the Chamartín
railway station, on the sides of the Plaza Castilla bus station, north from the Paseo de la Castellana
and near the Cuatro Torres Business Area.
After the Torres KIO fraud case, KIO had to sell the buildings, which are now owned by Caja Madrid
and Realia.
The west tower has a rooftop helicopter
pad outlined in blue; the east tower has a red one.
They played a key role in the 1995 movie The Day of the Beast, whose climax took place on one of the then nearly-completed towers. The towers were also shot in the song sequence "oru koodai sunlight" in the popular Tamil
film Sivaji
.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. The towers have a height of 114 m (374 ft) and have 26 floors. They were constructed from 1989 to 1996. The Puerta de Europa is the second tallest twin towers in Spain after the Torres de Santa Cruz
Torres de Santa Cruz
The Torres de Santa Cruz is a residential complex composed of the twin towers located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife...
in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
.
They were designed by the American architects Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
and John Burgee
John Burgee
__notoc__John Burgee is an American architect noted for his contributions to Postmodern architecture. He was a partner of Philip Johnson from 1967 to 1991, creating together the partnership firm Johnson/Burgee Architects. Their landmark collaborations together included Pennzoil Place in Houston...
, built by Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas
Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas
Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas is a leading Spanish construction company based in Barcelona. It is publicly traded and is part of the IBEX 35.Over 50% of the shares are owned by a company controlled by Esther Koplowitz and others.-History:...
and commissioned in 1996
1996 in architecture
The year 1996 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*Eden Project, Cornwall near St Austell designed by Nicholas Grimshaw.*Oscar Niemeyer completes the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Brazil....
by the Kuwait Investment Office
Kuwait Investment Authority
The Kuwait Investment Authority is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund , managing body, specializing in local and foreign investment...
(hence their initial name "Torres KIO" or "KIO Towers"). Leslie E. Robertson
Leslie E. Robertson
Leslie Earl Robertson was one of the chief structural engineers of the World Trade Center in New York, which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and was responsible for the design of the buildings' sway-reduction features...
Associates, RLLP New York (LERA) provided structural engineering services. Each building is 115 m tall with an inclination of 15°, making them the first inclined skyscrapers in the world. They are located near the Chamartín
Chamartín Station
Madrid Chamartín is the name of the second major railway station in Madrid, Spain. Positioned on the north side of the city, it was built prior to the time of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, between 1970 and 1975, although subsequent work would be carried on into the early 1980s. At that time it...
railway station, on the sides of the Plaza Castilla bus station, north from the Paseo de la Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana
Paseo de la Castellana , commonly known as La Castellana, is one of the longest and widest avenues of Madrid. It is named after an old fountain that used to exist in Plaza de Castilla...
and near the Cuatro Torres Business Area.
After the Torres KIO fraud case, KIO had to sell the buildings, which are now owned by Caja Madrid
Caja Madrid
Caja Madrid, formally the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid, headquartered in Madrid, is the oldest of the Spanish savings banks. It was founded on December 3, 1702 as Monte de Piedad de Madrid by Francisco Piquer, an Aragonese priest...
and Realia.
The west tower has a rooftop helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pad outlined in blue; the east tower has a red one.
They played a key role in the 1995 movie The Day of the Beast, whose climax took place on one of the then nearly-completed towers. The towers were also shot in the song sequence "oru koodai sunlight" in the popular Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film Sivaji
Sivaji
The name Sivaji can be referred to:* Sivaji , an Indian film directed by S. Shankar* Sivaji , an Indian soundtrack album by A. R...
.
