The Sagrada Família’s Tower of Jesus Christ has reached 172.5 metres, making the Barcelona basilica the world’s tallest church. Its stone-and-steel sections were assembled as epoxy-bonded modules, a system that accelerated construction.
Builders divided the towers into 826 modules containing more than 2,100 stone pieces, preassembled at a quarry and lifted into place. Each panel uses about 30 kilograms of Henkel’s Loctite EA 9497 epoxy and cures for 24 hours under controlled temperatures; about 24 tonnes of adhesive have been used overall.
The modular approach has allowed construction to progress up to ten times faster than traditional methods. Project manager Begoña Cantera said work completed in barely eight years would otherwise have taken 50–60 years. The resin is designed to accommodate small movements between stone and steel; the project team says the bonded structure can bear loads equivalent to the weight of about 100,000 people per square metre. The tower is expected to open to the public from 2027 with a viewing platform.
