It is located on the north-east coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The Punta del Hidalgo lighthouse was built in 1994 and its appearance is very different from typical lighthouses. The architect gave it a sculptural form.
The lighthouse was designed by Ramiro Borlado. The architect gave it a soaring form, which consists of ‘columns’ of different heights. These structures are arranged gradually, low on the land side and rising towards the quay. The lighthouse itself is set on a triangular base. The tallest of the columns was built square and ends in a small pillar with a light source.
Construction of the lighthouse began in the early 1990s and was completed in 1992. The Punta del Hidalgo lighthouse was built as part of a plan drawn up in the 1980s for the positioning of navigation points in the Canary Islands. Today it is one of seven lighthouses marking the coast of Tenerife.
In total, the height of the lighthouse is 50 metres. Its construction is made of reinforced concrete. Its white facade is impressive. This was achieved thanks to the white gravel that was specially brought to the island. The light emitted from the top is visible from a distance of 16 nautical miles.
Today, the lighthouse is popular with tourists. It attracts fans of modernist architecture in particular. It is the only one of the island’s lighthouses to have acquired such an original appearance. The others are fairly typical and consist of tall towers painted with alternating white and red stripes.
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