Casa Vicens

Gaudí designed a house of small dimensions, structured on four levels: basement, ground floor and two upper floors. The young architect gave proof of his talent in the interior of the house, especially in the formal spaces and in the exotic smoking room. 

The size of the plot conditioned the position and orientation of the house. Gaudí placed the dwelling on the northeast side, abutting on the party wall of the neighbouring structure. This arrangement made it possible to free enough space to allow the design of a garden as well. There he installed a monumental arch that frames a waterfall, giving the garden itself and the inside of the house a fresh cool atmosphere. 

The unassuming programme which Mr. Vicens requested of the architect took shape in a very attractive architecture, with an elevated gallery overlooking the garden which was marked by its original louvers providing suitable shading.

Nature is the most important source of inspiration of all of Gaudí’s works and the Vicens House is one of the first examples of this, with different natural elements represented and integrated within the whole. Standing out are the fan palm fronds on the wrought iron grille of the entrance, and the marigolds on the tiles of the façade.  

With the integration of various decorative arts such as wrought iron, painting, ceramics and sgrafitto, nature is also present in the interior of the dwelling. This creates a continuity between the exterior space and the interior. 

The Vicens House was designed to be built by construction techniques rooted in the Catalan tradition. This is a tradition which Gaudí had learnt from his teachers and which he always adopted as a firm basis for the building of his imaginative architectural proposals. 

In 1925, with Gaudí’s approval, the house was enlarged and refurbished by the architect Joan B. Serra de Martínez. Using the same architectural language, a structural body was added on the east side, abutting on the pre-existing house. Other parts and elements were changed or even eliminated, however, altering the original conception. 

In November 2017, Casa Vicens opened its doors to the public as a house museum. Gaudí’s first work in Barcelona, bought in 2014 by the MoraBanc Group, can now be appreciated for the first time as the architect envisaged it, thanks to an extensive and meticulous renovation and restoration project.