Gate of Europe

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Gate of Europe
Puerta de Europa
General information
Status Complete
Type Office
Location Paseo de la Castellana 189/216, Madrid, Spain
Coordinates 40°27′59″N 3°41′16″W﻿ / ﻿40.46639°N 3.68778°W﻿ / 40.46639; -3.68778Coordinates: 40°27′59″N 3°41′16″W﻿ / ﻿40.46639°N 3.68778°W﻿ / 40.46639; -3.68778
Construction started 1989
Completed 1996
Owner Bankia and Realia
Roof 114 m (374 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 26
Lifts/elevators 8
Design and construction
Architect Philip Johnson, John Burgee
Developer Kuwait Investment Office
Structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP, New York
Main contractor FCC


The Gate of Europe towers were designed by the American architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, built by Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas[1] and commissioned 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 de Castilla bus station, north from the Paseo de la Castellana and near the Cuatro Torres Business Area (CTBA).

After the receivership of Grupo Torras, KIO had to sell the buildings, which are now owned by Bankia and Realia.

The west tower has a rooftop helicopter pad outlined in blue; the east tower has a red one.

In popular culture[edit]

The towers 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.


External links[edit]