The works of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi drip like melting wax, elaborate and surreal creations firmly moulded in the skyline of Barcelona. It would be a crime to visit the Spanish city, where most of Gaudi's works can be found, without viewing at close range one of his architectural feats. And while the unfinished Sagrada Fam?lia - a massive, privately funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in the city since 1882, garners most of the attention, La Pedrera is perhaps the most complete representation of Gaudi's creative vision.
Also known as Casa Mila after the couple who commissioned it - wealthy socialite Rosario Segimon and her husband Pere Mila - it was completed in 1912. Its fairytale swirls with its surreal rooftop terrace, loft space and six floors and basement make it a masterpiece of 20th century design.
A member of the Art Nouveau movement, Gaudi's distinct sculptural pieces appear fluid, and La Pedrera with its undulating block of flats, acid-trip roof and chunky wrought ironwork, is one of the most impressive examples. The last big civic work before he dedicated his life to the Sagrada Fam?lia, La Pedrera was restored to its former glory in 1996 after years of decay. In the early 1980s the building was in poor condition. It had been painted a dull brown and many of its interior colour schemes had deteriorated. But its restoration restored it to many of the original colours. It now contains a museum dedicated to the architect, a furnished museum apartment, as well as private residences and every last detail, from door knobs to light fittings, carry the trademarks of the artist's visionary genius.
La Pedrera is as much a visual feast as an architectural feat. Holding in place its curved walls are horizontal beams and wrought-iron balconies, while the sculpture park on the roof has chimneys resembling medieval warriors and huge ventilator ducts that have been twisted into odd shapes.
The structure also houses a gallery space run by the Caixa Catalunya, the Spanish bank which owns La Pedrera. It stages regular free exhibitions with works by artists including Marc Chagall, Salvador Dal? and Francis Bacon having been shown in the past. In the building's basement is an auditorium capable of holding up to 250 people, which hosts regular conferences and concerts, while the adjacent gardens provide some natural relief.
In 1969 La Pedrera was declared an historic monument and Unesco named it a world heritage site in 1984.