Deformation monitoring of the Control Tower, Port of Barcelona (Spain)

The Control Tower of the Port of Barcelona is situated in the North dike of the so-called Energy Pier in the Barcelona harbor (Spain). This tower has different kind of antennas for navigation monitoring and a GNSS permanent station. As the tower is founded in reclaimed land, and because its metallic structure, the 50 m building is subjected to diverse movements, including periodic fluctuations due to temperature changes. In this contribution the 2009, 2011 and 2012 monitoring campaigns are described, specially an ‘ad hoc’ solution to reach the roof of the tower by means of a vertical steel calibrated tape. In the works, GPS positioning and clinometers have been used as well. The measured settlement rate in the NE of the Energy Pier area is about 1 cm/year. Horizontal movements in the top of the Tower are in the range of +-4 mm. These are not extreme figures, but they mask the values registered by a tide gauge nearby or by the GNSS Permanent Station in the Tower roof. So, it is mandatory to carefully monitor these Stations periodically, especially in elevation.