CASA MILA

SPAIN,BARCELONA
Courtyard that lets
light go inside the
building.

BIOGRAPHY:
GAUDI

The vine looking

railing made out
of iron.

ANTONI

The catenary arch in

the attic.

THE DISTINCTIVE
FEATURES OF CASA
MILA

A Spanish-Catalan architect who had a habit

of continuously changing his buildings
during the course of their construction.
Gaudi rarely drew out his plans, instead
preferred to create three-dimensional scale
models & molding details as he conceived
ideas. His designs were inspired by the
buildings from the past, the environment
around & art together with literature.

The soldier looking

chimney.

The limestone sea

wave faade.

Today, 7 of his constructions are declared

world heritage sites by UNESCO & most of
his buildings are located in Barcelona. His
masterpiece Sagrada Familia still remains
incomplete due to his accidental death.
Casa Mila was special to him as it was
Gaudis largest apartment house project & it
summed up all his famous works under one
roof.

CASA MILAS BACKGROUND

Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera which
means the quarry due to unusual
construction as it is composed of organic
form.
Mr.& Mrs. Pere Mila learnt about Gaudi & his
designs when they saw Casa Batlo, which is
a few houses among the one they bought.
Mr. Pere Mila wanted something relate to
nature more than his other constructions;
having a wave like faade on top giving the
building an essence of ocean/sea with the
nature around, and so he hired Gaudi.

Aerial vie
w of Casa
Mila, Barc
elona.

THE ARCHITECTURE
The structure composed of 2 houses connected by the
facade, each having its own courtyard & entrance. Building
owns a surface area of 10,000 sq. and is more of a circular
construction than a rectangular. The facade gives impression
massive rocks, relaxed by wavy lines of iron & beaten
ornaments. The colorless facade distinguishes it from all of
Gaudis other works & is very expressionistic.

Elevation 1: 750

The faade elevation how the faade looks like a sea wave.

This is a non-uniform building as the floor plans for the 5

floors are dynamic & the height of each floor is different. It
has moveable interior walls. The house has a natural
ventilation system, which makes air conditioning unnecessary
and the ventilation openings look like soldiers. Its bulging
round cavities help natural light enter the building giving it a
earthy and natural feeling.

Attic

Staircase
Casa Mila

Courtyards

Ground
floor

Site plan
Entrances
Casa Mila arches across the two streets. It
is on the corner of the Passeig de Gracia
and Called de Provenca. A few hours away
from Casa Batlo.

Section A-A 1:500

Ground Floor 1: 750

STUDENTS: NURUL ATIQAH, NUR FARAHIYAH, SUMEDHA SINGH & NATASYA JASMIN | TUTOR: SIR AZIM SULAIMAN | TAYLORS LAKESIDE CAMPUS | BUILDING MATERIALS BLD601031081 79

There is a total of 5 floors in the building.

MATERIALS

CLAY BRICKS

LIMESTONE

Found at the attic

of the building. Its
built as a catenary
arch to support the
roof.

Found at the faade

of
the
building.
Creating a sand and
sea wave effect.

Characteristic
Hard.
Mostly light colours, grey to yellow colours.
Impervious - not allowing fluid to pass
through.
Low porosity
Easily cut and shaped.
Cheap and can be found in many areas.
Weather resistant.
Low absorption.

MIL A
F CASA
O
N
IO
ELEVAT
FAADE

Suitability
Used for functional reason where
light
is
desired
more
than
transparency.
It enhances the interior with the
light going in with obscure visuals in
private areas, especially in the
bathroom
The glass act as a design feature
itself. DECORATIVE for interior

Suitability
Weather resistant
Barcelonas weather change from 10C to
24C, so the limestone are able to resist to
this changes of temperature.
Durability
The facade can last for a very long time
despite air pollution thats going on with
vehicles passing by the building.
Easily shaped
The buildings organic form was shaped easily
due to using limestone.

Expressions
The colour of the limestone makes people
feel calm.
The limestone compliment the organic
shape of Casa Mila and create sense of
harmonious and pleasant view for people
who looked at it.
It enhance the design of the facade.
The limestone, as a material for the
building, create a sense of flexibility
visually which create awareness for people
in every single details of the building.

Characteristic

Expressions

PATTERNED
GLASS
Found on some doors
and windows in the
rooms, such as bathroom
windows.

Characteristic
Translucent
Obscure vision areas requiring
privacy but still allowing light
transmission
to
these
areas.Transmit slightly less light
and visual.
Distinct pattern on one side and
the opposite side is relatively flat.
Mostly used in interior building
and interior architecture and
internal decoration
4mm-6mm thickness

The decorative texture on the glass

add on to the interiors beauty. its
not just giving transparency and
light but also a nice design for the
interior.
Gaudi thought carefully about
private space and how to make sure
the tenants are comfortable by
allowing privacy in their own home
but still let natural light pass
through.
The patters create an effect of
softening the light quality in the
space

STUDENTS: NURUL ATIQAH, NUR FARAHIYAH, SUMEDHA SINGH & NATASYA JASMIN | TUTOR: SIR AZIM SULAIMAN | TAYLORS LAKESIDE CAMPUS | BUILDING MATERIALS BLD601031081 79

Aesthetic appealing due to its texture

and color.
Low maintanence cost
High compressive strengths
Fire resistance
Therman insulation able to absorb
and release heat slowly and keep the
house cool in day time and warm at
nights
Sound proof
Extremely durable

Suitability
Due to its porosity and thermal insulation, the
temperature around the house is constant.
Natural heating in winter and cooling in
summer.
It can last a very long time due to its
everlasting beauty. The color does not fade.
Casa Mila was build 100 years ago and the
bricks still looks brand new.
It gives an advantage towards the buildings
cost of maintenance due to its low
maintenance cost.

Expressions

Dreamlike attic space

Giving a sense of echoes in a warm tunnel
Create a warm feeling due to its natural and
pleasant color
Very pleasing to the eye due to its natural
color and texture.
A very peaceful part of the room
Spine like rib structure