31/08/2026
La Pedrera - Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain
Casa Mila is another one of Gaudi’s masterpieces located in Barcelona, Spain. Casa Mila is referred to as Gaudi’s most emblematic civil buildings, both for its constructive and functional innovations and for its ornamental and decorative solutions, which break away from the architectural styles of its time. With this building, Gaudí introduced new approaches in the fields of construction, spatial geometry, habitat, ergonomics, and materials. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 and is owned by the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, which means all proceeds go to helping improve others’ quality of life. It was built between 1906 and 1912 as an apartment building. Each apartment looks out the main facade and the inner façade of the block courtyard.
Today, you can see the apartments staged with furniture to resemble the layout of the apartments. Another highlight of this building is the attic. Gaudí built an attic on the floor slab of the top floor. In order not to increase the weight of the building, he resorted to a succession of 270 brick arches, which Gaudí called “balanced” or catenary arches, on which the roof rests. These arches are light, easy to build, stand on their own and don’t need any buttresses. The attic originally housed the communal laundry room, clotheslines, storage rooms and machinery for the two lifts. The attic floor was also the thermal or insulating chamber for the building. The attic houses models of many of his masterpieces in Barcelona.
Then, you can make your way to the roof terrace. Every part of the roof is designed to serve a purpose. The architectural and sculptural elements arranged throughout this space correspond to three types key features: the stairwells, the ventilation towers and the chimneys. The perimeter stone railings are undulating and follow the shape of the façade. The roof terrace is characterized by order, aesthetic quality and highly functional construction elements. The most voluminous elements are the six stairwell exits. Inside each of them there is a spiral staircase that allows access to the rooftop from the attic. Gaudí used curved forms to make the building lighter. The stairwells are seven metres tall. There are 29 chimneys located on the roof. These are flues from the coal-fired central heating system, no longer in use. There are two on their own and the others are grouped in sets of two, five or seven. The shapes of the chimneys allows for aerodynamic displacement of the smoke. The two ventilation towers had the function of renewing the air in the attic. The Trencadís mosaics act as a waterproof protector for the elements, while adding color to the space.
I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online way in advance of your visit, as this location tends to sell out. Your ticket does include the audio guide, which you can pick up after scanning the QR code on your ticket for entry.
For more information on planning your visit to Barcelona, please see the link in the comments below.
