Roof architecture at Casa Batllo, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona
The building that is now Casa Batlló was built in 1877 by Emilio Salas Cortes one of Gaudí’s teachers. It was a classical building with a basement, a ground floor, four other floors and a garden in the back. The house was bought by Josep Batllo in 1900. The design of the house made the home undesirable to buyers but the Batlló family decided to buy the place due to its centralized location. It is located in the middle of Passeig de Gracia, which in the early 20th century was known as a very prestigious and fashionable area. It was an area where the prestigious family could draw attention to themselves. In 1904 Josep Batlló hired Gaudí to design his home; at first his plans were to tear down the building and construct a completely new house. Gaudí convinced Josep that a renovation was sufficient and was also able to submit the planning application the same year. The building was completed and refurbished in 1906. He completely changed the main apartment which became the residence for the Batlló family. He expanded the central well in order to supply light to the whole building and also added new floors. In the same year the Barcelona City Council selected the house as a candidate for that year’s best building award. The award was given to another architect that year despite Gaudí’s design. Casa Batllo. The roof terrace is one of the most popular features of the entire house due to its famous dragon back design. Gaudí represents an animal’s spine by using tiles of different colors on one side. The roof is decorated with four chimney stacks, that are designed to prevent backdraughts.
Size: 3192px × 4257px
Location: Casa Batllo, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Photo credit: © Joan Gil / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: antoni, architecture, barcelona, batllo, casa, catalonia, cortes, emili, gaudi, gracia, modernisme, passeig, roof, salas, spain
