If you are in Barcelona for more than 5 minutes, there’s a solid chance you’re going to hear the name Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi was a designer, an architect, and a very proud Catalan. Gaudi is likely the most famous architect in Spanish history and his presence can be felt in many areas of Barcelona. He is most widely known for his work designing Sagrada Familia, which is the most widely visited church in the world. Our team had the opportunity to visit multiple Gaudi sites and from my rudimentary perspective, it’s easy to understand why he is so revered here. He even earned the name “God’s architect” which…you know…is pretty good I suppose.
Our first visit was to a place called Park Güell. This is actually more of a garden than a park. It was originally designed to be a neighborhood full of homes, but this plan flopped and didn’t come to fruition. Today the park is a combination of flowers and structures designed by Gaudi. What makes his work so interesting as his focus on including natural elements into his designs. Gaudi felt that nature was perfect and if he could design anything that resembled nature (e.g. a snail shell, an ocean wave, a tornado, etc…) then he was in a good place. I can get behind the school of thought.
Next, we visited Sagrada Familia. This place is simply amazing. It’s a cathedral that has been under construction for over 100 years. (And I thought it took the city too long to fix that pot hole in front of my house!) The detail of Gaudi’s work is almost over overwhelming. Scratch that, it’s over overwhelming… but in the most amazing way. The entire façade of the church is covered in natural elements, including bugs, flowers, fruit, stars, etc. (I think I caught a bowl of broccoli in there somewhere .) There’s symbolism and storytelling embedded in his work. And at the end of it, you wonder how this guy had the time to think of these things and turn those ideas into reality. Turns out he never married and was a bit of a workaholic until his untimely death. In the last year of his life, he actually moved into Sagrada Familia. On one of his daily walks he was hit by a tram and died a few days later. An unfortunate ending, but his work continues as Sagrada was picked up by other architects and is now scheduled to be completed by 2033.
Gaudi’s work is like something I’ve never seen before. He was an artist in every sense of the word. But he was also extremely progressive and considerate. He designed his structures to be environmentally sustainable, and even thought about how his structures could handle rainfall and conserve water for the people living in the area. He was clever. Sagrada has different colored stained glass windows on the east and west sides of the building. So when you enter the building in the morning, the experience is entirely different than an afternoon visit.
We were also fortunate to hear from a local professor, Dr. Oriel Marquet on Barcelona’s urban planning strategies and how they influence the hair health of Barcelonians. In many ways, it feels like Gaudi’s forward thinking design has had a ripple effect on the design of the city. Barcelona is considered one of the most walkable cities in the world. They have streets that accommodate cars, bikes and buses. They have led the world in implementing super blocks which limit car travel in certain neighborhoods with intention of supporting ability. They even have policies to reduce noise pollution, which helps ensure all residents are able to get their beauty sleep.
Collectively, my impression of Barcelona is that it is a very well design city. It’s a city that is designed to ensure the people are well. And seeing this gives people like me, who are in the business of promoting wellness, a lot of of hope. When buildings and cities are designed properly, it ensures all inhabitants have access to health supporting resources. And this makes the healthy choice the easy choice.
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