Vasco da Gama Tower

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Vasco da Gama Tower

The Vasco da Gama Tower (Portuguese: Torre Vasco da Gama, pron. IPA: ['toʁ(ɨ) 'vaʃku dɐ 'gɐmɐ]) is a 145 m/476 ft-high lattice tower in Lisbon, Portugal, built over the Tagus river. It is named after Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who was the first European to arrive in India by sail, in 1498.

The architecture of the tower was by Leonor Janeiro, Nick Jacobs and SOM. The steel structure, representing the sail of a caravel, was assembled by engineering company Martifer.

The tower was built in 1998 for the Expo 98 World's Fair. At the 120 m/394 ft-level, there was an observation deck and, just below it, a luxury panoramic restaurant. At the base of the tower was a three-storey building that served as the European Union Pavilion during the expo.

Both the observation deck and the restaurant were closed in 2001. While they were open, the tower was the tallest structure in Portugal open to the public (excluding bridges).

The base building was to be leased for office space after the closing of the expo, but never found tenants. Instead, it was used for one-off events, like the world premiere of the new MINI car in 2001. The owner of the tower, state-owned Parque Expo, has received permission for a plan by Portuguese architect Nuno Leónidas to expand to a 21-storey building, on the riverside, for a luxury hotel.