Decq is considered a rock star in her field, and not just for her signature goth-punk look — think black outfits, thick black eyeliner and spiky black tresses and plenty of sculptural rings. Since the 1980s, she has been a formidable proponent of a free-thinking, risk-taking and comprehensive approach to architecture, winning, along the way, numerous accolades for her ground-breaking work, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennial in 1996, the Architectural Review’s Jane Drew Prize in 2016 and Architizer’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Working out of the Paris-based Studio Odile Decq, her practice is centred on experimentation combining the latest technologies with a research-based process.

For her first ever high-rise, Decq drew inspiration from Barcelona’s dynamic spirit and cultural identity imbuing the tower with a sense of dynamism, most notably by wrapping the structure with undulating balconies. Built as an extension of the existing floor plates, the wavy balconies distort the building’s volume giving the impression of movement as well as alluding to the organic forms of Joan Miró and Antonio Gaudi. Extended upwards by 10 floors, the tower also stands out for the red colour of the upper floors. "Red is the colour of Barcelona," she points out. "It's passion. It's life. I wanted the red on the top of the building to be like a flag, signalling the building's presence and identity."

Red accents are a recurring presence throughout the development, from the lobby’s 6-metre-high walls, to the undergrounds parking’s pillars, to the faceted exterior of the garden pavilion – not to mention the restaurant where it can be found in the sculptural staircase, curvaceous bar counter, banquette seating and even the plates and bathroom sinks. Coupled with the undulating glass façade, mirrored ceiling and light installation, the restaurant’s red-splashed interiors are imbued with an exuberant theatricality.

If truth be told, Decq has comprehensively designed each space to make its own dramatic statement, be it the immersive serenity of the cavernous, timber-clad rooms of the wellness centre or the exhilarating sensation of the uninterrupted views of the city, sea and mountains in the apartments, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling glazing and glass balustrades. “I have always tried, since the very beginning of my career, to do more than just architecture”, Decq explains, and judging from this project, she’s really is doing so much more.