The towers you see before you are a feat of engineering that defied the standard rules of gravity. When construction began in the late nineteen sixties, the architects chose to build from the top down. Workers first raised two central concrete pillars, then attached a top platform, and finally hoisted the floors into place using steel cables. This meant that for a long time during the construction phase, the building essentially hung in the air, with the upper stories completed before the ones beneath them. This unusual process was chosen to save on time and costs, as it allowed crews to assemble floors at ground level and hoist them up rather than hauling heavy materials to every individual story. The structure was so unconventional that it prompted rumors and concern from locals who watched the towers rise in reverse. At one point, the mayor even attempted to stop the project entirely with a demolition order, only to be overruled by a judge. The result was a bold, polarizing icon that became one of the most recognizable and debated features of the Madrid skyline for decades.
Torres de Colón
landmark
© OpenStreetMap © CARTO
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