The Mapfre Tower and Hotel Arts were constructed in 1992 as an office and coference centre for the Olympic Games that took place in Barcelona that year. Thus, they emerged as part of the thorough reconstruction and remodelling of the city for the occasion. The set formed by the twin towers is completed by a monumental sculpture D'Or Peix (the Goldfish) designed by Frank O. Gehry. Behind the towers, one can take a stroll in the picturesque Atlanta Gardens with a towering Dog Folch chimney, a symbol of the industrial past of the area.

The complex was designed by Inigo Ortiz and Enrique of Leon. At the time of its construction, Mapfre Tower was the second highest in Spain after the Picasso Tower in Madrid; however, after the construction of the Four Towers complex in the capital, the Mapfre is Spain's seventh tallest building. Standing proud at 154 meters, it's visible from virtually every point of the city. The tower's glittering windows give it the aspect of a giant mirror.