It’s virtually impossible to visit Barcelona
without coming across not one but several architectural creations of Antoni
Gaudi. His grasp of design and architecture was rather eccentric back then and,
let’s face it, it remains eccentric today.
You either love it or hate it.
However, there is a genius in his eccentricity, a genius that goes beyond
flashy colors and psychedelic patterns. So, your feelings aside, Gaudi’s works
should be on top of your list of places to see in Barcelona.Gaudi & Nature
His obsession with natural shape is the reason
why his work was so ahead of his time. He observed the natural structural forms
and applied their rules and laws to man-made constructions. For instance, he
used colors, textures, and natural predispositions of raw materials to create
designs which did not just feel natural in relation to nature but also human
body. But what does all this mean in practice?
For instance, he created a completely new
“equilibrated structure,” that is, a structure that could keep upright on its
own without internal or external support. He used this system to construct two
of Barcelona’s main Gaudí attraction, Casa Batlló (1904–06) and Casa Milà
(1905–10). In addition, both of these noble homes feature a unique ventilation
system (also completely inspired by nature) which would make today’s air
conditioning unnecessary. In Casa Batllo, besides the mighty “dragon” on the
roof, you can also observe how Gaudi used darker and lighter colors of the
tiles and sizes and angles of the windows to distribute the natural light
evenly through all rooms of the house.
Gaudi’s Ultimate Creation
However, Gaudi’s most significant architectural
achievement and life work is the still-unfinished Basilica of Sagrada Familia
adorning Barcelona’s skyline.
Some people find the church a bit too much. Well,
it’s obvious Gaudi unleashed all his creative powers on the project. However,
every single element incorporated into the structure has its meaning and
purpose. The apparent chaos is a carefully orchestrated symfony. Besides the
opulent religious symbolism, the church is an embodiment of the laws of nature.
For instance, the tall walls of Sagrada Familia
stand without any support. It’s walls hold each other in perfect natural
compression. How did Gaudi do it? He created a "hanging chain" model
of the church from weights on strings. In a scale of 1:10 he traced the outline
of the church on a wooden board, attached it to the ceiling and hung strings
from the points where he wanted to place the columns. He then hung small sacs
of wight (ten-thousandth part of the actual weight the arches would have to
carry) weighing them on the naturally formed arches. He photographed the model
and calculated the natural, gravity-modeled angle of each column and arch. Time
consuming but absolutely genius!
What Now?
This is what Gaudi is all about. He was an
eccentric genius way ahead of his time. His designs were so smart that they
make you wonder, why we don’t use his natural ventilation or lighting systems
in the often dark and stuffy modern buildings of today...
So, when you make your way through Barcelona’s
tourist attractions, give Gaudi a chance to prove his point. Every time you see
a color, texture, shape, or angle... don’t just acknowledge its existence but ask why is it there?
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