Casa Milà, commonly known as La Pedrera is the largest civil building designed by Antoni Gaudi. The apartment block was constructed between 1906 and 1910. It was Gaudi's last work before devoting himself to the construction of the Sagrada Familia.

Pedro Milà i Camps, a rich businessman was impressed by the Casa Battló, an expressionist building designed by Gaudi. He commissioned Gaudi to construct an apartment building on a corner site at the Passeig de Gracia, in the Eixample district, famous with its marvelous architecture, lots of interesting places for sightseeing and spectacular culture.

The result is a less colorful but nevertheless an even more unconventional building than the Casa Batlló. It breaks with traditional architecture by using not a single straight line. The building does not use load-bearing walls, but rests on pillars and arches. Together with the use of steel this allowed the architect to create completely irregular floor plans. Even the height of the pillars and ceilings differ from one to another. In order to allow light in all the rooms, the apartments are arranged around two central courtyards, one circular and the other oval shaped.

Gaudi, a Catholic and a devotee of the Virgin Mary, planned for the Casa Milà to be a spiritual symbol. Overt religious elements include an excerpt from the Rosary prayer on the cornice and planned statues of Mary, specifically Our Lady of the Rosary, and two archangels, St. Michael and St. Gabriel. The design by Gaudi was not followed in some aspects. The local government objected to some aspects of the project, fined the owners for many infractions of building codes, ordered the demolition of aspects exceeding the height standard for the city.

The Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Architecture states that the statuary was indeed Mary the mother of Jesus, also noting Gaudi's devoutness, and notes that the owner decided not to include it after Semana Trágica, an outbreak of anticlericalism in the city.

After the decision was made to exclude the statuary of Mary and the archangels, Gaudi contemplated abandoning the project but was persuaded not to by a priest. Casa Milà was in poor condition in the early 1980s. It had been painted a dreary brown and many of its interior color schemes had been abandoned or allowed to deteriorate, but it has since been restored and many of the original colors revived.

On the outside, the undulating balconies look like a series of waves. The iron-wrought balconies were designed by Josep Maria Jujol, who improvised on the spot. Some people see the facade as a cliff-like rock with caves. During construction, people dubbed it a quarry, or 'Pedrera'. To date, people still call the building 'La Pedrera' rather than 'Casa Milà'.

The top floor, attic and the extraordinary roof are open to visitors. The apartment on the top floor gives an idea of how the interior must have looked at the beginning of the 20th century. Just like on the outside, the interior has virtually no straight lines. The attractive rooms have a lot of character, with a mixture of expressionist and Art Nouveau styles. The attic houses an exposition of Gaudi's works with photos and scale models of his buildings.

The roof is probably the most extraordinary of the building. It features a number of surrealistic colorful chimneys. Many of them look like warriors in a science fiction movie, others look more frivolous. The roof also features a bench similar to the one in Park Guell. From the top of Casa Milà, you have a nice view over the Eixample district.

While the façade and the interior of the building is wonderful, one shouldn’t forget what can be found on the rooftop. On the roof stands chimneys and ventilation just as on any other roof. These are however designed by Gaudi in true Gaudi fashion with extraordinary shapes and vivid imagination. The unique components are made of broken tile shard mosaic, Ulldecona stone, marble and ceramics. There is also a level difference and several staircases on the roof, which makes it all look more like a landscape than a rooftop.

The staircases and chimneys have long fascinated visitors. The rooftop and its figures have been interpreted in many different ways; some have seen them as phantasmagorical figures and warriors while others have seen it as a dream landscape. The roof-terrace also provides its visitors with a nice view over the area.

Gaudi’s ocean theme is further evident when looking at the balconies. The balconies are beautifully decorated with exquisitely crafted iron, depicting underwater plants and vegetation.

Visitors paying extra attention to the balconies will almost be able to see how the vegetation is moving along with the water. Another ocean themed part is the sidewalk next to the building, which is covered in starfish ceramic tiles. The magnificent façade, together with the interior marine decorations, makes up a fantastic underwater landscape.

This wonderfully strange building was constructed between 1906 and 1910, a key time in the history of Barcelona as the city opened up to modernization. It was also a period where the Art Nouveau was at its peak. It is a style of art and architecture which embraces vivid decorative shapes and prefers curves over straight lines.

The movement spread all over the world, even to the strict catholic and rather old-fashioned Catalan region. One of the movement’s front figures became the Barcelona based architect Antonio Gaudi. This building is rated as, not only one of Antonio Gaudi’s most intriguing and spectacular buildings, but as a crown jewel of the whole Art Nouveau movement.

Casa Milà is one of the most fascinating buildings in the world. By looking at the enchanting façade, visitors will see an impressive, varied and harmonious mass of undulating stone without any real straight lines. Gaudi is said to have envisioned the facade as a petrified wave. Many people think it is the hardness and solidity of the material in contrast with the sensation of movement in these waves that makes the façade so spectacular.

La Pedrera is owned by the Catalonian Bank Caixa Catalunya, who bought, restored and opened up the building to tourists in the mid 1980ies. It has today become the head office of their cultural foundation which annually hosts a variety of exhibitions and cultural events.

The building is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List and it is the last example of Gaudi’s civil architecture. It is considered one of the most imaginative houses in the history of architecture. Casa Milà is located in central Barcelona, in eastern Spain. The building can be found on the street Paseo de Gracia in central parts of the city. Its position attracts lots of tourists, venturing through the center of Barcelona even early in the morning. The area is full of hotels that offer tour guides to Barcelona including the Gaudi’s heritage. You can get there via direct flight to Barcelona or to Girona, Reus or Lleida –Alguaire.