Yaiza Building (Taxi Drivers' Tower)

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1972 · Authors: José Luis Jiménez Saavedra

Architect José Luis Jiménez Saavedra designed in the early 1970s, for José Mesa y López Avenue at its junction with Costa Rica Street, a set of three towers intended for residential use.

Popularly known as the "Taxi Drivers' Tower", a colloquial name derived from the Taxi Drivers' Producers Cooperative of Las Palmas, the promoting entity of the work, this set is characterised by the use of exposed concrete and bold geometric shapes, resulting in a construction with a clear sculptural approach.

Notable are its blind walls, projections, asymmetric shapes and the varied arrangement of balconies that change on each level. The continuity of the fronts is broken with the purpose of creating common spaces; as happens on a ground floor conceived exclusively for this purpose, with an open-plan space without exterior enclosures.

The work, completed in 1972, is a landmark in the city of Las Palmas. With its 105 metres in height, Yaiza Tower I is the second tallest building in the Canary Islands, only surpassed by the Santa Cruz Towers in Tenerife, which reach 120 metres. Yaiza Tower II, at 95 metres, ranks third in the classification of the tallest buildings in the Archipelago.

It is worth highlighting the history of this complex, which has become a genuine urban reference. We are faced with a magnificent example of how community collaboration can leave a strong and lasting mark on the city.

28.130172, -15.439825