Restoration rejuvenates iconic Gaudi house Casa Batllo in Barcelona
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The facade of Casa Batllo by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BARCELONA – Barcelona’s Unesco-listed Casa Batllo, a modernist architectural masterpiece by Sagrada Familia designer Antoni Gaudi, unveiled a multi-million-euro restoration on June 19 that brings its rear facade and courtyard back to life.
Previous refurbishments, ownership changes and the turbulent period marked by Spain’s civil war of 1936 to 1939 had taken their toll on the unique building completed in 1906.
A team of architects, historians and artisans spent more than a year repairing the bright mosaics and restoring the original cream-coloured hue to the blackened curvy balcony bars.
The result is “the most similar to 1906 that we have been able to achieve with today’s technology”, said chief architect Xavier Villanueva, who is also an official in charge of the works.
Tourists visit Casa Batllo by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
In the courtyard, the pergola replicates a parabola shape, and more than 85,000 pieces make up the paving, “handmade one by one, as it was originally”, he said.
The painstaking task meant the team “carried out a lot of analyses in several university laboratories, many prospections – we have lots of documentary information”, he added.
The restoration cost 3.5 million euros (S$5.2 million).
Casa Batllo is in a fashionable neighbourhood of Barcelona that was frequented by the city’s bourgeoisie and wealthy industrialists in the early 20th century.
A Unesco-listed site since 2005, Casa Batllo welcomed 1.9 million visitors in 2024, making it one of the most popular attractions in a city known as a global tourism magnet. AFP
