Casa Mila is nicknamed “La Pedrera” meaning “the quarry” because its unusual construction is reminiscent of a quarry.

Casa Mila was built as a private residence for the Mila family and was designed by Antoni Gaudi. The construction started in 1906 and was finished in 1912. The city of Barcelona declared the Casa Mila to be an architectural work of art as soon as it was completed and in 1984 the building was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Guadi was famous for designing modern residences and had designed Park Guell and Casa Batllo prior to his work on Casa Mila. The Casa Mila was the last building designed by Antoni Gaudi before he devoted himself entirely to the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

Façade and Balconies

The light colored stone and otherwise colorless façade is unique from Gaudi’s other works which are extremely colorful. The black ornate iron balcony railing are the only feature that contrasts with the natural color of the stone. The house is known for its wavy stone façade and intricate carvings which are a characteristic of Gaudi’s quirky style.

The house consists of two parts connected by the façade, the ground floor and the roof. The house is mostly curved with few straight walls or right angled corners in the entire building.

Rooftop

Not only does the rooftop have a nice view over the city but the chimney ventilations are an architectural focal point of the house. The chimneys and air vents feature a common characteristic for Gaudi’s design by using broken mosaic tile for decoration.

The Dust on My Shoes

I enjoy modern architecture and I have always been fascinated by the designs of Antoni Gaudi. I get a lot of inspiration from seeing other people’s creativity and I admire their ability to be unconventional knowing that there will be those that will criticize their works because it isn’t normal. I think Gaudi is one of those people that was in his comfort zone when he was coloring outside the lines.

Sometimes conforming to societies expectations is a good thing but the world need people that have the ambition to create their own trail whether anyone follows them or not. These are the people that can look past the challenges as see a new way of doing something.

Antoni Gaudi’s architectural designs are more than just modern architectural designs, they are architectural works of art that shouldn’t be missed when visiting Barcelona.

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