Casa Milà

Born in Catalonia, Spain in 1852, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet suffered from poor health as a child due to rheumatism. This led him to spend much of his time resting at his summer house in Riudoms, where he was able to deeply study nature, which would later become a major influence on his architectural style. Gaudí was a practical craftsman at heart and was known for turning his creative plans into reality. His willingness to embrace new styles and his vivid imagination led him to pioneer the modern architecture style.

After moving to Barcelona in 1870 to study architecture, Gaudí became a prolific designer of buildings, gardens, sculptures, and decorative arts. Despite taking eight years to graduate due to health complications and other activities, he went on to design some of his most famous works such as Parque Güell, Palacio Güell, Casa Mila, Casa Vicens, the Crypt of La Sagrada Familia, and the Nativity facade. His bold and innovative solutions were both admired and criticized.

Gaudí's life came to a tragic end in 1926 when he was run over by a tram and later died in the hospital at the age of 73. However, a few years after his death, his fame became renowned by critics and the general public alike.

Milà and Segimón got married in 1905, and soon after, Segimón purchased a 1,835 square meter house with a garden on Paseo de Gracia, 92. In September of that year, they hired Gaudí to design and construct a new house, with the plan of living on the main floor and renting out the other apartments. The project was presented to the Barcelona City Council on February 2, 1906, and the construction began by demolishing the previous building instead of renovating it, as was done with Casa Batlló.

The building was completed in December 1910, and the couple requested Gaudí to provide a certificate to inhabit the main floor, which was authorized by the City Council in October 1911. They moved in shortly after. On October 31, 1912, Gaudí issued a certificate stating that the work was completed according to his plans and supervision, and the entire house was ready to be rented out.

Casa Milà, originally built for Roser Segimón and her husband Pere Milà, had a rich history of ownership and usage. After Milà's death in 1940, Segimón sold the property to Josep Ballvé i Pellisé, who partnered with the family of Pío Rubert Laporta to administer the building through the Compañía Inmobiliaria Provenza, SA. Segimón continued to live on the main floor until her death in 1964. The new owners divided the first floor into five apartments and commissioned Francisco Juan Barba Corsini to convert the attic laundry rooms into street-facing apartments in 1953. Some of these apartments featured a loft and were furnished in a typical early 1950s style using brick, ceramic, and wood. Casa Milà had housed various establishments, such as a bingo hall, an academy, and offices, before Northern took over the main floor in 1966. The building had become dilapidated, but Josep Anton Comas made emergency repairs to preserve the original design, particularly the paintings in the courtyards, in 1971.

On July 24, 1969, Gaudí's work was designated a historic and artistic monument. Casa Milà was not in good condition during the early 1980s, with a dreary brown paint and deteriorated interior color schemes. However, it has since been restored, with many of the original colors revived.

In 1984, the building became a part of a World Heritage Site that included some of Gaudí's other works. The city council of Barcelona attempted to rent the main floor as an office for the 1992 Olympic bid, but the building was ultimately purchased by Caixa Catalunya for 900 million pesetas on December 24, 1986. Urgently needed restoration work on the facade began on February 19, 1987, and was carried out by architects Joseph Emilio Hernández-Cros and Rafael Vila.

The renovated main floor opened in 1990 as part of the Cultural Olympiad of Barcelona, serving as an exhibition room with an example of modernism in the Eixample.

Casa Milà, designed by Gaudí, is a building with a total floor area of 1,323 m2 on a plot of 1,620 m2. The house has a unique design that incorporates ruled geometry and naturalistic elements, resulting in a constant curve both inside and outside. The structure comprises two buildings around two courtyards, providing natural light to the nine stories, including a basement, ground floor, mezzanine, main floor, four upper floors, and an attic.

The main floor was the residence of the Milàs, while the basement was intended as a garage, and the remaining 20 apartments were spread over the other floors. The asymmetrical "8" shape of the building was due to the various sizes and shapes of the courtyards, with the attic housing laundry and drying areas, forming an insulating space for the building.

Casa Milà's most notable feature is its roof, crowned with skylights, staircase exits, fans, and chimneys. The building's apartments showcase plastered ceilings, handcrafted wooden doors, windows, and furniture, hydraulic tiles, and various ornamental elements.

Gaudí intended the stairways for service entries, while the main access to the apartments was through elevators, except for the noble floor, where an interior staircase was added to promote interaction between residents. Additionally, there were only elevators on every other floor, allowing people on different floors to meet one another.

The self-supporting stone facade of Casa Milà is a defining feature as it doesn't require any load-bearing walls. Instead, curved iron beams surround the perimeter of each floor to connect the facade to the internal structure. This innovative construction technique allows for spacious openings in the facade that provide ample natural light to the homes, as well as the flexibility to add or remove internal walls without compromising the building's stability. This means that homeowners can easily alter the interior layout of their homes without encountering any issues.

Facade

La Pedrera's facade features large limestone blocks sourced from the Garraf Massif for the lower level and the Villefranche quarry for the upper levels. The blocks were meticulously cut and aligned to follow the building's unique curves. The exterior consists of three distinct parts, including the main six-story block with winding stone floors, two setback floors with a wave-like curve and small holes, and the roof section. The building originally had ironwork on its lower levels, but it was removed by the first store owner in 1928. The facade underwent restoration in 1987 with original materials sourced from the now-closed Villefranche quarry.

Patios

Patios support interior facades, with cast iron pillars holding up the courtyard floor. Gaudí's innovation was two concentric cylindrical beams with radial beams, creating a keystone. The structure is 12ft in diameter, resembling Gothic crypts and representing the helm of the ship of life. Josep Maria Carandell built it, inspired by a steering wheel.

Gates

The entrance to the basement auditorium of Casa Milà features a large iron gate designed by Jujol. Originally used by people and cars, the garage posed a challenge during construction as it had to accommodate the newly popular invention of cars. Gaudí removed a pillar on the garage ramp to ensure that Felix Meadows, a future neighbor and owner of Industrial Linera, could access the garage with his Rolls-Royce. The two halls of Casa Milà are adorned with colorful oil paintings of eclectic mythology and floral references. The floors feature square timber models with two colors and hydraulic pavement hexagonal pieces with blue and sea motifs.

Loft

Gaudí utilized the catenary arch in Casa Batlló's roof, a technique he previously applied to wood frameworks in L'Obrera Mataronense. The attic, housing laundry rooms, featured a Catalan vault roof with 270 parabolic vaults of varying heights, forming a unique landscape of hills and valleys. The arches' height depended on the space's width, affected by the location of the courtyards. Builder Bayó described the process: filling a wide wall with mortar, using a chain to determine the arches' shape, and constructing the timbrel vault with bricks. Gaudí proposed adding a longitudinal axis of bricks to connect the keystones.

Roof

Gaudí's work on La Pedrera's rooftop merged his experience at Palau Güell with more innovative solutions, creating voluminous shapes with less polychromasia. The rooftop features six skylights/staircase exits, 28 chimneys grouped in clusters, hidden vents for air renewal, and four domes discharging to the facade. The restoration removed non-original elements like chimneys and television antennas and restored the splendor of the chimneys and skylights covered in fragments of marble and Valencia tiles. The repair work also brought back the original impact of the overhangs made of Ulldecona stone and tiles. The set is more colorful than the facade, with dominant creamy tones.

Furniture

Gaudí designed furniture for the main floor of Casa Batlló, reflecting the integral approach of modernism where architects took responsibility for every detail of decor. Segimon's desire for a straight wall to place her piano was met with Gaudí's blunt suggestion to play the violin. Disagreements resulted in the loss of Gaudí's decorative legacy, as most of the furniture was removed due to climate change and changes made after Gaudí's death. Some pieces remain in private collections, including a 4m oak curtain at the Museum of Catalan Modernism and a chair and desk belonging to Milà.

Gaudí faced significant criticism for the unconventional style of the building, and even its nickname "La Pedrera" was given by disapproving citizens. The unique design and Gaudí's close relationship with Pere Milà became the subject of ridicule in Barcelona and humorous publications at the time.

Despite this, Gaudí, a devoted Catholic, intended Casa Milà to be a spiritual symbol, featuring religious elements such as an excerpt from the Rosary on the cornice and planned statues of Mary, St. Michael, and St. Gabriel. However, due to building code infractions, elements that exceeded the city's height standards were ordered to be demolished by the local government, and the Milàs were fined. Additionally, in response to anticlericalism during Semana Trágica, Milà decided to forego the religious statues, although Gaudí was initially tempted to abandon the project until a priest convinced him to continue.

Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, was heavily criticized for its unconventional style and was the subject of ridicule in satirical magazines. Homeowners in the area were upset with its unusual design, believing it would lower land prices. The building also faced administrative problems, such as violating the sidewalk alignment and exceeding its construction site's borders. The dispute was resolved when the building was recognized as a monumental structure exempt from strict compliance with bylaws. Although Casa Milà was a clear favorite in the 1910 Barcelona Artistic Buildings Competition, the jury believed that the building was not yet fully completed or in a perfect state of appreciation.

Gaudí's relationship with the owner, Segimon, deteriorated during the construction and decoration of the house due to disagreements. Gaudí even took Milà to court over his fees, and the lawsuit was won by Gaudí in 1916. After Gaudí's death, Segimon removed most of the furniture and covered parts of Gaudí's designs with new decorations. During the Spanish Civil War, part of the building was collectivized by the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia, and the Milàs fled with some artwork. The building was later acquired by Caixa Catalunya, and during restoration, some of the original decorations re-emerged.