AD Classics: Casa Milà / Antoni Gaudí
AD Classics: Casa Milà / Antoni Gaudí
Courtesy of Samuel Ludwig
- Written by Jonathan C. Molloy
With its undulating façade and surrealist sculptural roof, Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Milà appears more organic than artificial, as if it were carved straight from the ground. Known as La Pedera, the quarry, the building was inspired by the Modernista movement, Spain’s version of Art Nouveau..
Constructed in 1912 for Roser Segimon and Pere Milà, the building is divided into nine levels: basement, ground floor, mezzanine, main floor, four upper floors, and attic. The ground floor acted as the garage, the mezzanine for entry, the main floor for the Milàs, and the upper floors for rent. The building surrounds two interior courtyards, making for a figure-eight shape in plan. On the roof is the famous sculpture terrace. Practically, it houses skylights, emergency stairs, fans, and chimneys, but each function’s envelope takes on an autonomously sculptural quality which has become a part of the building itself.
Courtesy of Samuel Ludwig
Structurally, the building is divided between structure and skin. The stone façade has no load-bearing function. Steel beams with the same curvature support the facade’s weight by attaching to the structure. This allowed Gaudi to design the façade without structural constraints, and ultimately enabled his conception of a continuously curved façade. The structure holding up the roof, too, allows for an organic geometry. Composed of 270 parabolic brick arches of varying height, the spine-like rib structure creates a varied topography above it.
Courtesy of Samuel Ludwig
Formally, the façade can be read in three sections: the street façade, spanning the ground floor; the main façade, including the main and upper floors; and the roof structure, which houses the attic and supports the roof garden. Made of limestone blocks, the curve of the main façade has a weighty and textured quality of the organic. Above it is a curvaceous mass on which surrealist anthropomorphic sculptures perch.
Their presence contributes to the almost flowing dynamism of the building’s aesthetic.
© Gideon Jones
The Casa Milà, which was ultimately a controversial building, contributed greatly to the Modernista movement and modernism as a whole. It pushed formal boundaries of rectilinearity and, as Gaudi intentionally drew from natural and organic forms for the building’s shape, significantly inspired practices of biomimicry. Gaudi was a genius of structure and form, and the Casa Milà attests to that.
© Usuario de Flickr: jacqueline.poggi
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Architects:
Antoni Gaudí - YearCompletion year of this architecture project
Year :1912
- Photographs
Photographs :Samuel Ludwig, Usuario de Flickr: jacqueline.poggi, Gideon Jones
- ManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project
Manufacturers : FAPRESA, Gradhermetic, Proquinal, Spradling México
Cite: Jonathan C.
Molloy. “AD Classics: Casa Milà / Antoni Gaudí” 03 May 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/367681/ad-classics-casa-mila-antoni-gaudi> ISSN 0719-8884
La Pedrera (Casa Mila) by Antoni Gaudí. Barcelona Gallery
La Pedrera (1905), also known as Casa Mila, can be found at No 92 Passeig de Gràcia at the junction with Carrer Provenca. The word “Pedrera” means “Quarry” however, the original name of the house was Casa Milà. This is another masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí and was designed as a fashionable home to the wealthy Milà family. The name Pedrera was used locally to describe the building because of its stone-like appearance, and the name stuck.
| La Pedrera |
La Pedrera was constructed to house apartments and offices however the owner had difficulty renting the apartments because prospective tenants thought they would have problems furnishing the rooms as they were irregularly shaped.
La Pedrera is now a museum and is open to the public for viewing and tours.
Map showing location of Gaudí’s La Pedrera
Passeig de Gràcia
Casa Mila La Pedrera
Carrer de Provenca, 261 – 265
Casa Batlló
Passeig de Gràcia, 43
Fundacio Antoni Tapies
Carrer d’Arago, 255
Verdaguer Metro
Verdaguer Metro
Girona Metro
Passeig de Gràcia Metro
Passeig de Gràcia Metro
Diagonal Metro
Diagonal Metro
Diagonal Metro
NN Travessera Car Park
Travessera Parquing Pompeia Car Park
SABA BAMSA Siracusa Car Park
PROMOPARC Industria 9 Car Park
SABA Gràcia Car Park
SABA Gràcia I Car Park
SABA BAMSA Passeig de Gràcia Car Park
NN Valencia II Car Park
PLAFER Mallorca Car Park
Parking Windsor Car Park
NN Concept Car Park
SABA Pau Claris Car Park
SABA BAMSA Diputació Car Park
NN Bruc Car Park
This map is copyright registered and protected and may not be copied.
How to get to La Pedrera
No 92 Passeig de Gràcia
Metro: Diagonal (Green Line, L3)
Hop on hop off sightseeing tourist bus stop
Nearest stop for La Pedrera (Casa Mila) is “La Pedrera” with the “hop on hop off” sightseeing bus
Public bus
Passeig de Gràcia / Avinguda Diagonal: 7, 22, 24, V15
Car parking
Car parking near La Pedrera (Casa Mila)
Luggage Storage
Click to see luggage/bag storage facility near Casa Mila / La Pedrera
Opening hours:
| Month | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 09 January – 15 January | Monday – Sunday | Closed |
| January – December | Monday – Sunday | 09:00 – 18:30 |
| Public Holiday | 09:00 – 18:30 | |
| 25 December | Sunday | Closed |
Entrance Fee: €28.
00
Save money with the Barcelona Card
Discount: €3.00
Book your tickets online
Click to book your skip the queue tickets for Casa Mila with a free audio guide
Access for people with a disability: Yes. La Pedrera is nearly 100% accessible for wheelchair visitors
Hotels near Gaudí’s La Pedrera
Hotels near Gaudí’s La Pedrera
To start the photo tour of La Pedrera click on the first picture in the table below. Remember you will get more out of this photo guide if you follow the photos in sequence.
La Pedrera (Casa Mila, Mila’s house) by Antonio Gaudí. Photo gallery dedicated to Barcelona
La Pedrera (1905), also known as Casa Mila or Mila’s house, is located at 92 Passeig de Gràcia at the intersection with Carrer Provenca. The word “Pedrera” is translated as a quarry, but this house was originally called Casa Milà. This is another masterpiece by Antonio Gaudí, which was conceived as the fashionable residence of the Mila family.
The name Pedrera was given to the house by the locals because it looks like the house is carved out of stone.
| La Pedrera |
La Pedrera was supposed to house residential apartments and offices, but the owner had difficulty finding potential tenants who felt they would have trouble furnishing the irregularly shaped rooms.
Now La Pedrera is a museum open to the public.
Map showing the location of La Pedrera by Gaudí
Passeig de Gracia
Casa Mila, La Pedrera
Carrer de Provenca, 261–265
Casa Batlló
Passeig de Gràcia, 43
Antoni Tapies Foundation
Carrer d’Arago, 255
Verdaguer metro station
Verdaguer metro station
Girona metro station
Passeig de Gracia metro station
Passeig de Gracia metro station
Metro Station Diagonal
Diagonal 9 metro station0003
Metro Station Diagonal
Parking NN Travessera
Parking Travessera Parque Pompeia
Parking SABA BAMSA Siracusa
Parking PROMOPARC Industry 9
Parking SABA Gràcia
Parking SABA Gràcia I
Parking SABA BAMSA Passeig de Gràcia
Parking NN Valencia II
Parking PLAFER Mallorca
Parking Windsor
Parking NN Concept
Parking SABA Pau Claris
Parking SABA BAMSA Diputació
Parking NN Bruc
This map is copyrighted and protected, copying is prohibited.
How to get to the house La Pedrera
Passeig de Gràcia 92
Metro: Diagonal (Green Line, L3)
Barcelona Bus Turistic stop
Nearest stop for La Pedrera (Casa Mila, Casa Mila) is La Pedrera
Public transport – bus
Passeig de Gràcia / Avinguda Diagonal: 7, 22, 24, V15
Car park
Parking near La Pedrera (Casa Mila, Casa Mila)
Opening hours:
| Month | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| January 09 – January 15 | Monday – Sunday | closed |
| January – December | Monday – Sunday | 09:00 – 18:30 |
| Holiday | 09:00 – 18:30 | |
| December 25 | Sunday | closed |
Admission fee: €28.
00
Save money with the Barcelona Card
Discount: €3.00
Buy tickets online
Click to book skip-the-line tickets to Casa Mila with free audio guide
Accessibility for people with disabilities: Yes. La Pedrera is almost 100% wheelchair accessible.
Hotels near Gaudí’s La Pedrera
Hotels near Gaudí’s La Pedrera
Click on the first photo in the list to start the photo tour of La Pedrera. Note that it is best to view the photos in order.
Gaudí’s Casa Mila in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Page Content
Casa Milà (House of Mila) or La Pedrera is a famous building designed by Antoni Gaudí between 1906 and 1912. It was built for the couple Roser Ségimont and Pere Mila. Casa Milà was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984 due to its unique artistic value for posterity.
Buy tickets online
Click to book skip-the-line tickets to Gaudí’s La Pedrera with audio guide
| Casa Mila by Gaudí |
Location map showing the walking distance to Casa Mila or La Pedrera from the nearest metro stations.
Passeig de Gràcia
Casa Mila, La Pedrera
Carrer de Provenca, 261–265
Casa Batlló
Passeig de Gracia, 43
Antoni Tapies Foundation
Carrer d’Arago, 255
Verdaguer metro station
Verdaguer metro station
Girona metro station
Passeig de Gracia metro station
Passeig de Gracia metro station
Metro Station Diagonal
Metro Station Diagonal
Metro Station Diagonal
Parking NN Travessera
Parking Travessera Parque Pompeia
Parking SABA BAMSA Siracusa
Parking PROMOPARC Industry 9
Parking SABA Gràcia
Parking SABA Gràcia I
Parking SABA BAMSA Passeig de Gràcia
Parking NN Valencia II
Parking PLAFER Mallorca
Parking Windsor
Parking NN Concept
Parking SABA Pau Claris
Parking SABA BAMSA Diputació
Parking NN Bruc
This map is copyrighted and protected, copying is prohibited.