Casa Batlló: Barcelona

Casa Batlló is an outstanding architectural delight. Once the family home of Antoni Gaudi, the building has been restored with much respect of its architectural heritage, opening to the public as a private museum to the in 2002. It design is unprecedented in the architectural world, and on The Noble floor which was the main living space of the family, there is not a single straight line to be found anywhere  The fluid, fluctuating textures of the walls echo the natural ebb and flow of the tide. Each softly curved surface creates the illusion of the building as a living, breathing creature, and at times it feels as if you are inside a giant beautiful mollusk, deep in depths of the sea.

A visit to the Casa Batlló is a wonderful surreal experience; the museum have used the latest technology to make each visit as informative and entertaining as possible. The electronic guide, which is the same size as an iPhone, contains extra effects and images to show how the rooms would have looked completely furnished, when Gaudi lived there.

The building is surprisingly light and airy. Its central structure contains a beautifully tiled vertical shaft to a decorated window situated on the surface of the Dragon Roof Terrace, which provides both light and internal ventilation. Not one of the tiles has a straight surface and the carefully coordinated colour gradient gives the impression that it is as light at the bottom as the top!

The stunning roof terrace is shaped like the vertebra of a dragons back, and is decorated with carnival masks of the dragon’s victims. The design is a celebration of the legend of Saint Jordi (Saint George) who is the patron saint of  Catolonia. It’s a wonderfully romantic story of damsel rescued by a dashing knight!