Casa Mila

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Casa_mila_ag1.jpg

<i>Casa Mila</i>

1905-07

Art Nouveau

Architecture

Antoni Gaudi

 

The Casa Mila is an apartment complex designed by Antoni Gaudi that sits in the middle of downtown Barcelona, Spain. It is distinguishable because it doesn't appear to have any sharp edges, choosing instead to round off all the edges. This makes it stand out from all the buildings surrounding it. Its gray color makes it seem like it's carved out of stone or clay, which is pretty cool, and would appear that none of the edges are the same. According to the book the interior of the building is as spontaneous as the exterior, with rooms and hallways seamlessly and spontaneously merge with one another. There are also the spires on top to consider, they seem to not match the rest of the building, which implies individuality and goes to the over-arching theme of spontaneity and uniqueness that I believe Gaudi was going for.

This appeals to me for many reasons. Firstly, I believe that architecture should stand out from everything else on the block, and <i>Casa Mila </i> achieves this greatly. In the picture in the book, you can clearly see where it ends and the neighboring buildings begin. If you look closely, you can see that every balcony railing is uniquely designed, and every additional floor seems to expand outward over the floor below it. The latter is only a photographic trick, but it is still pretty cool. The roof, which is appears to be mosaic tile, contrasts nicely against the flat rock that is the dominant feature of the rest of the building. The buildings tan or gray color makes it look like a sand castle, which are fun to make.

I would say, overall, that this is a successful work. <i>Casa Mila </i> works as a statement on the diversity and spontaneity of the everyday world, which I believe was Gaudi's intention when he drew it up.