Palau Guell, another Gaudi work. This is 5 story palace in central Barcelona designed by the young Gaudi (1886-1890) for the wealthy Guell family (10 children). It is austere on the outside but sumptuous on the inside. There is a large vertical room culminating in a parabolic cupola and each floor opens out from this, getting light and ventilation as well as music. The central area at the bottom was used as a chapel or main room and had multiple pipe organs. The basement with large brick pillars was the stables and the horses and carriage could be brought up to the vestibule when needed. The ground floor vestibule is made mostly of marble and has 2 sculpted wrought iron gates filling the 2 catenary arches at the front, the left for horses and right for people. The middle floors were family use and the attics were servants quarters and the kitchen and as usual the roof is fantastic. The 20 chimneys, 4 skylights and the cupola were all works of art, decorated with swirling patterns made from recycled fragments of glazed tile, glass and vitrified limestone. And all this fitted on a block of land of 500m2
and then there's the roof . . .
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