{"id":14100,"date":"2021-04-12T15:25:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T13:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.listonegiordano.com\/casa-batllo-gaudi\/"},"modified":"2022-02-17T11:46:25","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T10:46:25","slug":"casa-batllo-gaudi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listonegiordano.com\/one\/en\/architecture\/casa-batllo-gaudi\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa Batll\u00f3 : the shrine designed by Antoni Gaud\u00ec in Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We stare open-mouthed at Casa Batll\u00f3 as an outstanding example of modernist artwork and inspirational architecture in Paseo de Gracia: the historic heart of Barcelona.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the early 20th Century, a rampant and booming bourgeoisie started to colonize this part of the city and commissioned different architects to build the most ambitious dwellings. In a twist of fate, the original construction bears<\/strong> the signature of one of Gaudi’s professors: Emilio Sala Cort\u00e9s<\/strong>; it was purchased in 1903 by Josep Batll\u00f3 y Casanovas, a textile industrialist who aimed to make a name for his family at the forefront of the Spanish architectural scene with a sensational building.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"casa
Casa Batll\u00f2 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The master in chief was Antoni Gaud\u00ec<\/strong>; it goes without saying that he loath to compromise and asked for absolute creative freedom. He opposed the demolition of the property, instead envisioning its historical preservation, and immersed himself in the project from 1904 to 1906<\/strong>. The architect drastically transformed the fa\u00e7ade, redistributing internal partitioning, expanding the patio of lights and converting the interior into a one-of-a kind piece of art.  Besides its artistic value, the building is also extremely functional<\/strong>, much more characteristic of modern times than of the past. Some even see elements that herald the architectural trends of the late 20th Century.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"casa<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 1995, the current owners, the Bernat family, re-opened this architectural treasure to the world<\/strong>, as the perfect stage for different events. Casa Batll\u00f3 is a manifesto for a visionary world that evokes nature and fantasy<\/strong>, while also an avant-garde model of sustainable and eco-friendly construction system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fa\u00e7ade is the epitome of Gaudi’ symbolic universe, a powerful synthesis of his architectural vocabulary, giving way to an on-going dialogue with materials, light and colour<\/strong>. The result is a vibrant marine-inspired fa\u00e7ade, layering spontaneous sculptures, recycled materials and decontextualised objects, translating them into an unusual artistic code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Casa<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Its corrugated surface is the canvas where stone, glass and ceramics are interwoven and masterfully displayed to create a stunning masterpiece<\/strong>. This three-dimensional painting comes to life when illuminated by the daylight, in a harmonic and balanced motion, as if it were a living element of the urban landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the ground, main and first floors, the fa\u00e7ade features slender stone columns in the shape of bones, decorated with characteristic modernist floral elements. The mask-shaped protruding balcony is fitted with railings moulded from a single piece of cast iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Main Floor, Gaud\u00ed added a huge gallery where large oval-shaped windows represent open eyes overlooking the outside world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crown of the fa\u00e7ade, which is similar to a dragon\u2019s back, along with the four-armed cross (representing the handle of a sword) evokes the legend of Saint George slaying the dragon with his sword, saving the princess and the people from the animal\u2019s wrath. Based on this interpretation, the roof\u2019s design symbolises a sword embedded in the dragon, and the bone-shaped columns commemorate its victims. In fact, throughout history, Casa Batll\u00f3 has been known as the house of bones or the house of the dragon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the sources of the Gaudi Foundation, others interpret it as an aquatic landscape, evoking Monet\u2019s series of oil paintings, The Water Lilies, as a result of the colourful coating of ceramic glaze and fragments of broken glass. Another genius, Salvador Dal\u00ed, agrees with this marine interpretation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Casa<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGaud\u00ed drew inspiration for the house from the shapes of the sea, representing waves on a calm day. A true sculpture of the reflection of twilight clouds on the water, from which shapes of extensive water emerge, shapes of water that stretches out, shapes of still water, shapes of shimmering water and shapes of water ripples caused by the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaud\u00ed himself never explained his work and he worked on the fa\u00e7ade from the outside, without specific plans, something which was characteristic of his work<\/strong>. Consequently, he created a house full of symbols, fantastic imagery, a canvas that explains a virtually indecipherable story, to be completed by each individual with their own imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inside of Casa Batll\u00f3 is a marvel of design thanks to collaboration with excellent masters and artisans of the time, with wrought iron, wood, stained glass, ceramic tiles and stone ornaments, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doors leading to the different apartments are identified by letters with modernist traits.<\/strong> The windows of each landing distort the tiles of the patio of lights, transforming them into ripples of water. The doorknobs and banisters have ergonomic shapes\u2026 It is the avant-garde of interior and industrial design as we know it, the architect has been involved in each and every aspect: design, colour, shape, space and light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Casa<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Beauty and function walk hand in hand, right from the entrance hall to the roof terrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The communal entrance hall on the ground floor leads to the Batll\u00f3 family\u2019s private entrance hall, through an impressive modernist grid.  This space evokes an underwater sphere, transporting visitors to the fantastic world of Jules Verne, with skylights that resemble turtle shells, vaulted walls with curved shapes and a spectacular wooden staircase. The carved banister, made from hardwood, represents the backbone of a huge animal, rising up through impossible spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Batll\u00f3\u2019s study, with its unusually ironic mushroom-shaped fireplace, leads to the house\u2019s main living room, where a large picture window takes centre stage, forming a gallery onto Paseo de Gracia, which is ideal to see and be seen. Among other elements, the huge oak doors are particularly noteworthy, with organic shapes into which Gaud\u00ed incorporated stained glass panes and a wavy ceiling, evoking the strength of the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO – Faena house designed by Norman Foster becomes the latest attraction of the Miami<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patio of lights is the core of the house, as it incorporates innovative technical and design solutions to distribute the air and light that filter through the main skylight. Gaud\u00ed extended the patio, including a second one, to ensure that natural light – a key element in his concept of interior space planning <\/strong>– would permeate the whole house. The tiles of different blue tones (with more intense colour in the upper part and lighter tiles at the bottom) create a beautiful chromatic effect while maximizing the uniform distribution of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n