In a country house in Riudoms, the young son of a family of coppersmiths contended with his delicate health and whiled away his time observing nature.
The boy – Antoni Gaudí – would go on to become an architect whose distinct naturalistic style continues to captivate the city of Barcelona and the world beyond.
Constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Gaudí’s effervescent creations reflect influences from around the world – from Catalan Modernism and Art Nouveau to Byzantine and Persian architecture.
“Originality consists in returning to the origin,” Gaudí said, reflecting on the inspiration he finds in nature. And while the natural world was the muse for his architecture, modern engineering and science were its anchors. The Catalan architects’ buildings were both visually arresting and functional.
This June will mark the centenary of Gaudí’s death. Here are some of the architect’s shining masterpieces – all of which are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Casa Vicens (created between 1883-1885)
Situated on Barcelona’s Carrer de les Carolines, Casa Vicens is a riot of colour and texture. The house was Gaudí’s first major commission after graduating from university and prescient of the naturalistic, ingenious style he would later develop.
The building blended Spanish Mudejar, Persian, and Byzantine elements. Green tiles with yellow flowers adorn the house’s facade and parts of the interior, placed against rust coloured walls.
The tiles were inspired by Gaudí’s initial visits to the site to take measurements, where he recalled finding the plot covered with “little yellow flowers.” The architect also created the iconic grille at the entrance – reminiscent of palm fronds – after a palm tree he chanced upon when designing the house.
It was also important to him to design the house so that it received a substantial amount of light and ventilation, as he wrote in his notes between 1878 and 1883.
Gaudí’s keen awareness of the environment around the house, and his aesthetic fascination with nature, are captured in this early eclectic creation.
Casa Batlló (redesigned between 1904-1906)
If Casa Vicens captures Gaudí’s early experimentation, Casa Batlló is where his imaginative and intelligent style flourishes.
The house on Passeig de Gràcia is a dreamscape inspired by the sea and organic life forms. Outside, exquisite cell-like forms in shades of purple, blue, and green decorate the window panes. The lower half of the facade resembles a skeletal frame, earning the house the apt nickname “House of Bones”.
The colourful roof resembles tough scales on a dragon’s hide – a recurring motif in Gaudí’s work and a reference to the legend of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia.
The interior is equally magical. Ceilings shimmer like fish scales. Gauzy glass-panes soften the outlines of the rooms behind them. Walls and concrete ridges of interior balconies are sculpted into soft curves.
But the most striking feature is the central light well, which runs through the building’s multiple floors and diffuses natural light throughout the house.
Gaudí also adorned the well in a gradient of blue tiles, with lighter tiles at the bottom and darker ones at the top, to complement the diffusion of light.
The well, combined with vents on each floor to help with circulation, reveal an architecture that is intricately thought out to blend aesthetics with engineering.
Walking into Casa Batlló is like stepping into the architect’s mind, where beauty and science seem to be in constant conversation with each other.
The sculptural structure echoes Gaudí’s refrain: “The straight line belongs to men, the curved line to God.”
Park Güell (created between 1900 – 1914)
Originally conceived as a residential estate for the city’s elite, Park Güell allowed Gaudí to push his style further and integrate buildings into natural landscapes.
Surfaces across this estate are decorated with vibrant trencadís – a mosaic technique developed by Gaudi that uses broken ceramic tiles. The Park has over 400 dragons, in reference to the legend of Catalonia’s patron saint, reflecting an attempt to capture the history and cultural fabric of the region in his work.
Gaudí also put together water collection and storage systems to irrigate vegetation and avoid the erosion of the land.
In Park Güell, architecture draws from the surrounding flora and fauna and elevates the estate to a space between reality and fantasy.
Casa Milà (created between 1906-1912)
With Casa Milà, Gaudí pushed the scope of the materials he used and conventions about how a building should be constructed.
Also called La Pedrera (“The Stone Quarry”), the house’s facade is largely made up of stone, sculpted into undulating curves. In Casa Milà, the conventionally rigid material is transformed and looks almost fluid.
The wrought iron railings on the balconies twist into seaweed-like forms, complementing the stone’s curves. The exterior of the building retains the understated colour of the stone.
The house’s design was radical for its time: the building does not have structural, load-bearing walls and instead relies on beams and columns. This allowed Gaudí to create more open floor plans. The house was also the first on Passeig de Gràcia, and among the first of the 20th century, with underground parking for carriages.
Casa Milà also features a striking, sculptural terrace with air vents and eclectic chimneys that look almost like chess pieces. The curvature of the terrace also allows for better light distribution throughout the building.
Basílica de la Sagrada Família (under construction)
In 1926, Gaudí was struck by a tram – an accident that proved fatal. On that June morning, he was making his way towards the site of his latest and most ambitious project: the Basílica de la Sagrada Família.
Gaudí took over the project which was initially begun by another architect. In 1914, he stopped taking other commissions to focus on the construction of the church. The architect’s designs fuse Gothic and Art Nouveau elements with his distinct personal style.
The church’s interiors feature columns branching out, like trees, and a ceiling that resembles foliage. Gaudí envisioned it to be “a temple of nature, reaching to heaven.”
His designs for the Basílica de la Sagrada Família – featuring elements like geometric patterns, stained glass windows, and multiple tall spires – were an ambitious and breathtaking swansong.
The architect left detailed drawings and instructions for his elaborate plans that allowed work to continue on the imposing structure after his death.
The building became the world’s tallest church last year, and new additions to its exterior this February have added further to its height.
It currently stands just over 172 metres tall and reached its maximum height after the 17-metre cross was recently placed on the pinnacle of the Tower of Jesus Christ.
While work on the project continues, the scaffolding around the exterior will be removed ahead of the tower’s inauguration scheduled for this June – coinciding with the centenary of Gaudi’s death.
Even after a century, Gaudí’s work resonates with the vivacious, present-day Barcelona. The city was named the World Capital of Architecture for this year by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA).