http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-1916288-walk-barcelona6/

*

Casa Batllo, Passeig de Grcia, 43Casa Batll is the most emblematic work of the brilliant Catalan architect Antoni Gaud, one of his masterpieces, a key feature in the architecture of modernist Barcelona. It was built between 1904 and 1906 having been commissioned by the textile businessman Josep Batll. Nowadays, the spectacular facade is an iconic landmark in the city.

*

The house that is today known as Casa Batll was built between 1875 and 1877 by Emilio Salas Corts, who, incidentally, was one of Gaud's teachers. It was a sober and classical building with a basement, a ground floor, four upper floors and a garden behind the house.In 1900 the building was bought by the textile businessman Josep Batll and his wife.

Mr Batll bought the building at 43 Passeig de Grcia for just 500,000 pesetas, the equivalent of 3,000 euros in todays money. The original house was of no particular architectural interest; however, its location in the middle of Passeig de Grcia, which was a very fashionable and prestigious area, made it a prized and desirable dwelling. Being a distinguished family, they wanted to stand out from the crowd, and to do this they wished to build a spectacular house.

In order to realise this ambitious project, Josep Batll decided to contact an architect who was different, who was an innovator. The one he selected was Antonio Gaud. His initial orders were to knock down the original building and to build a new one from scratch.

Gaud, however, managed to convince Josep Batll that this was not necessary, and that renovation would be sufficient. In November 1904, when Gaud was 52 years old and at the height of his professional maturity, the planning application was submitted.Gaud's assistants Domnec Sugraes i Gras, Josep Canaleta y Joan Rubi also contributed to the renovation project

Gaud carried out a full refurbishment of the building using innovative techniques and with total creative freedom. The result was the exceptional and extraordinary building that we are able to enjoy today

The refurbishment: Gaud modified the main facade and added the balconies and the main gallery. In the interior of the house, he transformed the main apartment, which was the residence of the Batll family, expanded the central well to supply the entire building with light, and added new floors. He also crowned the house with what appears to be the spine of an animal.

600 tiles, used to create the appearance of scales, cover the roof of Casa Batll

Gaud designed the roof of Casa Batll in one great slope with rounded ends so that visual continuity with the neighbouring buildings would not be compromised

The railings of the balconies in Casa Batll are composed of a single piece of wrought iron

The building works were completed in 1906.In the same year the Barcelona City Council selected the house as a candidate for the 1906 award for the best building. In the end this prize went to another architect, probably because the same prize had recently been awarded to Gaud for another house, Casa Calvet.

Casa Batll is part of the Illa de la Discrdia in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The Illa de la Discrdia (Block of Discord), is noted for having buildings by four of Barcelona's most important Modernista architects, Llus Domnech i Montaner, Antoni Gaud, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Enric Sagnier, in close proximity. As the four architects' styles were very different, the buildings clash with each other and the neighboring buildings.

The block is the southwest side of Passeig de Grcia. The houses are the Casa Lle-Morera, at Passeig de Grcia 35, designed by Llus Domnech i Montaner; Casa Mulleras, at Passeig de Grcia 37, designed by Enric Sagnier; Casa Bonet, at Passeig de Grcia 39, designed by Marcell Coquillat i Llofriu; Casa Amatller, at 41, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch; and Casa Batll, at 43, designed by Antoni Gaud.Due to the presence of these famous landmark buildings, the block is a significant tourist attraction in Barcelona. The name in Spanish, Manzana de la Discordia, is a play on words: manzana means both "city block" and "apple," referencing the Apple of Discord.

*

Casa Amatller, at Passeig de Grcia 41, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch;

Casa Lle-Morera, at Passeig de Grcia 35, designed by Llus Domnech i Montaner;

The 1906 award for the best building had been awarded for Casa Lle-Morera, at Passeig de Grcia 35, designed by Llus Domnech i Montaner

Casa Bonet, at Passeig de Grcia 39, designed by Marcell Coquillat i Llofriu;Casa Amatller, at 41, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch; and Casa Batll, at 43, designed by Antoni Gaud.Casa Batll

elevation la manzana de la discordia

In 2002, as part of the International Year of Gaud, Casa Batll began a new line of business: cultural visits to the Noble Floor, the former dwelling of the Batll family.

The cross which crowns the roof is made of glazed stone from Majorca

In 2002, for the first time, Casa Batll opened its doors to the public, and the initiative was met with a wholly unanticipated success

Appreciation for Gaud on a national and international level and the architectural interest of Casa Batll, not to mention its own particular charm, contributed decisively to this success. The Noble Floor was officially opened for tours on the 19th of March 2002

There are nine balconies and four terraces arranged across the facade. Some have curving shapes which look like the top part of a skull, though some people think they represent carnival masks; others, for example the small balcony at the top of the building in the shape of a flower, draw their inspiration from the natural world.

In 2005 Casa Batll became a UNESCO World Heritage Site

330 ceramic discs, in a myriad of different colours, give the main facade its colour and shine

Gaud directed the builders personally from the street, instructing them exactly where to place the glass fragments on the facade

As a whole, Casa Batll is intensely evocative of the sea, of what is really meant by Mediterranean, of naturalism, theatricality, carnival and magic. Gaud's creative freedom and the individuality of the early years of the 20th century, when applied to this masterpiece, forge a strong connection to the values which prevail in the Barcelona of today.

Casa Batll is known locally as the "House of the Yawns", on account of the shape of the gallery, and also as the "House of the Bones" thanks to its columns which look like human tibias, and that it's even been compared to the house in Hansel and Gretel, the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm?

Text: Internet (The official website of Casa Batll and Wikipedia)Pictures: Daniela Iacob & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authorsPresentation: Sanda Foioreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasandaSound: Alenar - Maria del Mar Bonet con Paco Cepero

*

*

*

**