According to the members of the Emporis Skyscraper jury, this year they tapped the Barcelona building for its exquisite aesthetics and integration with the surroundings, which contrasts with the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, which took second place in this year's awards.

The Porta Fira Hotel is the work of Japanese architects Toyo Ito & Associates and the Spanish firm b720 Arquitectos, headed by Fermín Vázquez. The hotel, which is 113 metres high and has 26 stories, is located in one of Barcelona's busiest areas. Porta Fira belongs to the Hoteles Santos chain, which also owns several other landmark hotels.

According to Fermín Vázquez, the greatest challenge in designing the tower was its shape: the unique façade is comprised of aluminium tubular structures which run vertically around the entire exterior, from the ground to the crown. The hotel is visible from far away due to its striking red colour, and its tube-like structure widens as it rises. b720 Arquitectos also designed the Agbar Tower in Barcelona, which placed second in the Emporis Skyscraper Awards in 2004.

Diagonal ZeroZero Tower ranks ninth

In addition to the Porta Fira Hotel, another FCC project was ranked in this year's Emporis Skyscraper Awards. The Citizen Services Group's Diagonal ZeroZero Tower in Barcelona took ninth place. The tower, which was designed by EMBA (Estudi Massip-Bosch Arquitectes), is home to Telefónica's headquarters in Barcelona.

This rhomboid-shaped skyscraper, which is 110 metres tall and has 23 floors, has received other distinctions, including the Quatrium Prize for architecture in 2010.
The top skyscrapers of 2010 include buildings from all over the world; however, according to Matthew Keutenius, architectural expert at Emporis and chairman of the Skyscraper Awards jury, the Mediterranean Basin is now a focal point for world-leading architecture.

Best skyscrapers worldwide, according to Emporis Skyscraper: