The architects website explains that this building was part of an ambitious urban renewal project centered on Barcelona's coastline.  "The 26-story, slender, sail-shaped W Barcelona sits perpendicular to the dock, showcasing unprecedented sea and city views from virtually every guest room. This volume is inserted in the low-slung atrium building, which contains the lobby enjoying natural zenithal light. Public activities are housed beneath a platform designed in the form of two huge terraces. The sizeable volume of the conference hall with its large glass frontage overlooking the sea breaks the horizontal lines of the podium. The reflecting facade of silvered glass sparkles according to prevailing light conditions and changing viewpoints. The colour of the glass exterior skin of the building reflects the sky and the Mediterranean to blend into the landscape."