Maqueta de l'estructura cilíndrica
24/04/20

Gaudí designed La Pedrera- Casa Milà in 1906-1912, which would become one of his most innovative work in functional, constructional, and decorative terms. Indeed, by virtue of its artistic and technical characteristics, it has always been considered a radical break away from the formal rules of the time. One of the most remarkable innovations is the idea of ​​an underground car park, for horses and carriages, and for automobiles. Gaudí was ahead of his time and anticipated the needs of the modern life of bourgeois families who settled around Passeig de Gracia.

The floor plan presented to the Barcelona City Council in 1906 contains the basement and the delimited spaces of what Gaudí called the cotxeria (garage). He draws the boxes where to park the vehicles, the warehouses, and the stables. The garage occupies two separate spaces, which occupy the entire surface. The entrance to the car park is through the two entrances of the building which converge on a central ramp.

Plano cotctera
Estructura cilíndrica del garatge sota el pati de passeig de Gràcia

One of the two spaces of the car park is under the courtyard of the Paseo de Gracia. Gaudí applied one of his most ingenious solutions: he used an original metallic structure (reminiscent of a bicycle wheel) formed from two cylindrical concentric girders tensed by radial beams. The use of iron in the structure and the columns allowed him to reduce the volume of the structure and gain space to maneuver. Around it, stone and brick columns as in the other part of the garage. In the other part, follows the outline of the other courtyard. This is how Gaudí designs an underground car park with a capacity for all residents, about 20 vehicles, for horses and carriages, and for automobiles. Currently the garage has become an auditorium where activities are carried out, from concerts to conferences.

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