House Vicens. Antoni Gaudí built this building for the Mannuel Vicens family, and the project was completed in 1885. The house is still inhabited, and the owners let outsiders inside only once a year – on Saint Rita’s Day, May 22. This building was the first major order for an architect, built of colored ceramic tiles and raw stone. There are a lot of decorative elements on the facade, the building turned out to be bright and immediately attracts the eye. Experts find echoes of the Arabic Muhedar style in the House of Vicens, but in general they believe that this is the first work of Gaudí in the style of modernism..
Another very striking building designed by Gaudi. Located on the coast in Comillas and was built as a summer home. It is noteworthy that Gaudi himself created only the project, but he never visited the construction site. All living quarters overlook the valley, which leads to the sea; the cladding with ceramic tiles and bricks is interesting. In particular, there are tiles with sunflower casts that alternate with majolica.
After the first two very striking buildings, you can’t even say that the Güell Palace was also built according to the project of Gaudí in 1885-1890. This is a much more austere building erected by an architect in Barcelona for the industrialist Eusebi Güell. According to experts, Gaudi tried to abandon the eclectic style and started looking for his own directions. This building is also included in the UNESCO list, it differs not only in external decor, but also in rich interior decoration..
Episcopal Palace in Astorga. Antoni Gaudí built it in a neo-gothic style, less strict than classical gothic. It is noteworthy that the construction, which began in 1889, was frozen for 20 years due to the death of the customer, the bishop. The original shape of the windows can be noted on the facade of the building. Currently, there is a museum, whose exhibits tell about the pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela.
Sagrada Familia. By far the largest and most famous building of Gaudí. The construction of the temple, designed by a Catalan architect, began in 1883 and has not been completed to this day, so this is one of the most famous long-term construction projects on the planet! Gaudí worked separately on the facades of Nativity and Passion, but the projects for the facade of Glory have come down to us in part. It is planned that the temple, which can be talked about for a very long time, will be completed by 2026.
Private residential building Kalvet. Built by Gaudi in 1898-1900. The building was created as a tenement house, it was planned to locate trade establishments on the lower floor, give the mezzanine to the owners, and rent the rest of the apartments. Experts consider the House of Calvet to be the most traditional creation of the architect. You can see the influence of the Baroque style in the decor of the main facade. Gaudí thought through all the details, even the decor of door knockers and the floral ornament of the mezzanine.
This is a school at the monastery of St. Teresa. The architect had to meet the strict requirements of the monastic order, adhere to a tough economical budget, so he abandoned lush and bright decor, pretentiousness and sophistication, paying tribute to the Gothic. At the same time, the building turned out to be very attractive, Gaudi coped with the difficult task and now the school is a recognized decoration of Barcelona.
Figueres House, sometimes called Bellesguard, along the Barcelona street that was the site of construction. The project was implemented from 1900 to 1916. The house stands on the side of a mountain and looks like a knight’s castle, but with some bright details. In general, the style of the house is again dominated by neo-Gothic.
Casa Batlló. This is what deserves to be listed as the most unusual buildings on the planet! The dwelling house, rightfully included in the UNESCO list, was not built by an architect from scratch, but almost completely rebuilt and redesigned in 1904-1906. Notable for the unusual courtyard, where two light shafts are combined, and the roof looks like a dragon’s ridge.
House Mila or Casa Mila. The residential was built in Barcelona in 1906-1910. For its time, this structure was very innovative, because the building is a structure without supporting and bearing walls, only with bearing columns. Natural ventilation is well thought out, there is an underground floor and lift shafts. Casa Mila is also included in the UNESCO list, this is the last secular work of Gaudi, after which he focused on the Sagrada Familia.
What makes Antoni Gaudi’s buildings so famous and unique?
What is it about Antoni Gaudi’s architectural style that makes his buildings so famous and beloved?