Casa Batlló

Discord

Three rich families competed to outdo each other on one street

In 1898 the chocolatier Antoni Amatller hired Josep Puig i Cadafalch to reform a building on Passeig de Gràcia. In 1902 Francesca Morera hired Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Josep Batlló then hired Gaudí in 1904 to put the others to shame, and the block was nicknamed the illa de la discòrdia.

A renovation

Gaudí persuaded the owner to renovate instead of tearing it down

The building dated from 1877 and was designed by Emili Sala Cortés, one of Gaudí's professors. In 1904 Josep Batlló hired Gaudí, at first planning to tear it down. Gaudí convinced him that a renovation was enough, and the work was finished in 1906.

The dragon

The roof is said to be a dragon with a lance in its back

The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos, the House of Bones. The arched roof was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory says the rounded feature topped by a turret and cross is the lance of Saint George plunged into the dragon's back.

The well

The light well is tiled in blue to feel like the bottom of the sea

The central light well delivers natural light to all corners of the house. Its blue tiles allow an equal distribution of light to all the floors. Gaudí wanted the bottom of the well to feel like the bottom of the sea.

The loft

Sixty arches in the loft form a ribcage

The loft was formerly a service area with laundry rooms and storage. It is known for its simple shapes and its white walls. A series of sixty catenary arches creates a space that represents the ribcage of an animal.

Sixtycatenary arches in the loft