W Barcelona

This guide to the W Barcelona traces how architect Ricardo Bofill's glass sail, known locally as the Vela, rose on land clawed back from the Mediterranean, inside a coastal buffer Spanish law is supposed to keep clear of construction. You'll hear from the Barceloneta neighbors and surfers who watched a five-star tower go up on public port land, and their complaints that its breakwater was bending the currents and waves they had known for years. Notice how the glass facade shifts color with the sun as you approach.