Casa Mila is one of the most interesting sights in Barcelona, despite it was initially planned as a multi-apartment building for renting. This architectural masterpiece by Antonio Gaudi was far ahead of its time in terms of technical solutions, and its artistic value is enormous.
A rich married couple, Pere Mila and Roser Segimon, applied to Antonio Gaudi in 1906 with a proposal to build an apartment building that would amaze and surprise. They wanted to have a house that everyone would talk about, like the Battlo House that Gaudi had built 2 years earlier.
Gaudi was given a plot of land of 1000 m2. As a result, he built a house that is amazing. In 1984, the Mila House was listed as a UNESCO historical heritage site. It was the first listed house made in the 20th century.
According to Gaudi, he wanted to build "a rock washed by the sea". Indeed, the facade lines are very similar to the sea. There are no right angles. For this reason, the house is often called "La Pedrera", which means, "Quarry". Openwork wrought-iron balconies imitate seaweed.
Casa Mila was designed without load-bearing walls that was unacceptable for a multi-stories building in those days. But Casa Mila has 6 floors. Gaudi distributed the load among the frame, exterior walls, and supporting columns. This design, as well as three courtyards, allowed residents who rented apartments in the Casa Mila to make a free layout. All the walls were movable, and all the rooms had windows. All living spaces of the house are filled with light. At the same time, the ventilation and exhaust system is so well designed that the residents of the house can live without air conditioning even in the hot summer months.
The roof of the Mila House is an artistic masterpiece. All lines and contours are smooth, they look like waves that flow down. All the pipes of the house are decorated like alien creatures. Trencadis finishing is widely used. In the evenings, there are light and music shows. You will see how pipes "come to life" and "communicate" with the audience.
It is also noteworthy that in 1906, when Gaudi developed the house project, the automobile industry was at the very beginning of its development. The first model T, which was the first mass-produced car, was developed by Henry Ford only in 1908, and its production began even later. But Antonio Gaudi has provided an underground garage in the house of Mila, where cars can enter from the street on a spiral ramp.
