When most people think about skyscrapers, they think of metropolitan hubs such as Hong Kong, New York or Dubai. However, the city with the most skyscrapers per person in the world is actually in Europe and a holiday hotspot for Brits.
Nicknamed the “Manhattan of the Mediterranean”, Benidorm has 26 buildings over 100 metres tall. The tallest building in the coastal town, located on the Costa Blanca in Alicante, is the Intempo building which stands at 187 metres high. The array of skyscrapers help give Benidorm an impressive skyline which is often compared to New York.
The city has a high density of skyscrapers for a number of reasons. Pedro Zaragoza, who was the local mayor from 1950 to 1974, was the first to see the area as a modern tourist destination.
He championed the construction of skyscrapers to maximise land use and create more accomodation. The tall buildings also allowed space for more leisure and green spaces across Benidorm for tourists to enjoy.
As Benidorm is located near the sea, and surrounded by mountains, there is minimal space to build outwardly. The solution to cater for increasing amount of visitors was to build vertically instead.
Benidorm has become an increasingly popular tourist destination over the last few decades. Brits especially flock to the city for sun, beaches and cheap food and drink.
The Intempo building changed the skyline of Benidorm and has become an important landmark. It has a distinctive design and offers amazing views of the local area.
Meanwhile, the Torre Lúgano, a luxury residential skyscraper, has 43 floors and stands at 158 metres tall. It has 204 luxury flats with stunning panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Neguri Gane skyscraper stands out in Benidorm for its rounded shape. Standing at 145 metres tall, it is the fourth tallest building in the city and twelth highest in Spain.
The fifth tallest building in Benidorm is the residential skyscraper Kronos Building. The reinforced concrete structure stands at 145 metres tall and consists of 41 solid slabs.