Torre Aqualina is a high-rise residential building

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 completed in 2009 in Rosario, province

Provinces of Argentina

Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...

 of Santa Fe

Santa Fe Province

The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...

, Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. It is located on the corner of San Luis and Alem Streets, in Barrio Martín, a few blocks south of the National Flag Memorial

National Flag Memorial (Argentina)

The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River...

.

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

Paraná River

The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...

.

The Torre Aqualina was completed in late 2009, and was until the completion of the Dolfines Guaraní

Dolfines Guaraní

The Dolfines Guaraní complex is a pair of high-rise luxury apartment buildings in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.Completed in 2009, the development comprises twin towers , with 45 floors, 136.5 m high...

 towers, the tallest building in Rosario, as well as in Argentina outside the city of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

.

Design and construction

Torre Aqualina was designed by Mario Roberto Álvarez

Mario Roberto Álvarez

Mario Roberto Álvarez was a prominent Argentine architect.-Early life:Álvarez was born in Buenos Aires in 1913. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires School of Arquitecture in 1932, and graduated with Gold Medal honors in 1936...

, a Buenos Aires-born architect who also designed (among others) the Le Parc tower

Le Parc tower

Le Parc Tower is a high-rise building located at the intersection of Avenida Cerviño and Fray Justo Santamaria de Oro in the neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina....

 (the tallest residential building in Argentina), the seat of the Rosario branch of the Banco de la Nación Argentina

Banco de la Nación Argentina

Banco de la Nación Argentina is a state-owned bank in Argentina, and the largest in the country's banking sector.-Overview:The bank was founded on October 18, 1891, by President Carlos Pellegrini by way of stabilizing the nation's finances following the Panic of 1890; its first director was...

, the intelligent building of the Rosario Board of Trade

Rosario Board of Trade

The Rosario Board of Trade 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 negotiations in several markets including grain, oilseed, agricultural products and their by-products,...

, and the airports of Neuquén

Neuquén

Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...

 and Córdoba.
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

Injunction

An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...

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.