Every architectural building is complex, whether it looks like it or not. Many elements and factors affect an architect's design. The architect must think about the functionality and sustainability of buildings, all of which can be affected by environmental and social contexts. The architect's beliefs, heritage and experience also affect the design of his or her work. All of these factors can be analyzed to determine how and why a building was constructed. It is obvious that Antoni Gaudi put a lot of effort into designing Casa Mila in Barcelona, ​​Spain. There are so many details in Casa Mila, as mentioned earlier in the observation document, that can be broken down to better understand how and why each choice was made. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAntoni Gaudi was commissioned by the Mila family to create an apartment complex in Barcelona, ​​Spain. Ms. Mila particularly wanted Antoni Gaudi to design the building because she was fascinated by the Art Nouveau style that was sweeping Europe. Antoni Gaudi was recognized for having Art Nouveau influences in his work. At the time, he had almost completed the construction of Casa Batllo, another building located on the same street as Casa Milà. Art Nouveau is an artistic style movement that originated in Europe. His influence could be seen in jewelry, furniture, sculpture, architecture and much more. It was particularly popular between 1900 and 1905, around the same time that Madame Mila commissioned Antoni Gaudi to design Casa Mila. The photographs of the completed Casa Mila indeed show the influence of Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau is known for its attention to aesthetic display, abstract design, and visual excess. There are so many elements outside and inside that it can be difficult for viewers to take in everything at once. A striking feature of Art Nouveau is the whiplash curve, a complex design dominated by curves3. This common feature is present on the exterior and interior of Gaudi's Casa Mila. Outside, whiplash curves are visible on the balconies. Dark ironwork is dominated by organic shapes and tight irregular curves, changing direction without a clear pattern. The design is intricate and intricate, just as one would expect from the whiplash curves of Art Nouveau. The interior also features these distinctive curves on the white plaster ceilings as well as the balustrades and other fixtures made with the same dark ironwork seen from the outside. Casa Mila was to be an apartment complex where the Mila family would reside, as well as future tenants. Antoni Gaudi therefore had to meet both artistic and functional standards. Gaudi had to keep in mind the needs of his patron and future residents. The building has several attractive features that allow residents to live comfortably and enjoy their living space. The most obvious features seen from the exterior of Casa Mila are the abundance of windows. Windows are important for a living space, they allow light and air to enter the roof, protect residents from unwanted weather conditions and provide them with a view of city life outside. The curvature of the building allows each resident to have a unique view outside their window. Gaudi's choice to have the exterior curves slightly raised, so as to create a recessed window, allows residents to have some shadeagainst rain or sun. Balconies are also very popular in apartment buildings. The balconies' unique ironwork railings serve to protect residents from falls, but also serve as a decorative element. A unique part of the building is the inclusion of the courtyards in the design of the interior of the building. From the outside, there is no trace of the courtyard, it is completely hidden from the outside world. When visitors enter from the main street entrance, they may be surprised to find that they have moved from outside to inside, while still being outside since they are in the courtyard. Gaudi blurs the line between interior and exterior and offers a unique living experience to the inhabitants of Casa Mila4. The apartment windows line the interior walls of the courtyard. Window locations are different from exterior windows. They are more regularly aligned. The regular alignment of the window combined with the circular shape of the courtyard creates a vertical accent, enticing visitors to look upward. When they look up, they see the sky and remember the unique space they are in. The courtyard provides a residence space to get some fresh air and allows more light to enter the rooms of the apartment, making the space more open. The circular shape of the courtyard also means that the windows of the apartments face each other. This gives residents a sense of community, where they can open their windows and talk to their neighbors if they wish. At night, the courtyard can serve as a space to relax and stargaze. As Casa Mila was and still is an apartment complex, it is not surprising that there is a garage built in the basement. It is surprising, however, that the gate for cars is the same iron gate for visitors on foot, but with different openings. It is the same entrance which opens onto the courtyard, the main entrance. In the courtyard there are also stairs connecting to the second floor. These stairs seem to blend well into the wall, taking place on the periphery and leaving the visitor's attention in the middle of the courtyard. They have iron railings, vertical columns and flower boxes. In the second courtyard there is another staircase, but this time without guardrails. There are green plants with long vines hanging over the edges of the stairs. The stairs are used to connect the first and second floors. It is unique because it is the only staircase inside the courtyard, the other floors do not have the same connection. The staircase also has an awning which protects those using the staircase from the rain. These two staircases were reserved for the use of the Mila family. As they lived on the first and second floors, the staircase provided easy access to the bedrooms. For other residents of Casa Mila, access to the apartment's rooms was via the elevator. By building an elevator instead of stairs, Gaudi was able to free up more space for classes. Some may view the roof of Casa Mila as a mere art display, with little functional value. However, like everything else, Gaudi designed the roof not only to make a statement, but also to provide a space to serve residents. The roof serves residents directly and indirectly. The roof is popular for its tall carved figures, which extend from the roof to those on the ground. They are placed in different areas of the roof demarcating the corners of the roof as well as some near the courtyard openings. The figures aren't just statues, they're chimneys and vents. On cold winter nights, residents can light their fireplace and let the smoke flow down the chimney. Some sculpted figuresalso house the stair exits. It is a perfect example of Gaudi's versatile designs. The roof can also be characterized by its curved elevation changes. The visitor would expect nothing less from the roof after having already experienced the rest of the building and understanding the curved theme of the building. These elevation changes can help create unique views of the city, as well as a unique view of the rest of the roof. There are also some concrete archways. On the roof, visitors can see and appreciate another Gaudi work, La Sagrada Familia, as one of these arcades clearly highlights La Sagrada Familia in the distance. Due to the change in elevation, Gaudi included steps that allow users to easily walk onto the roof. This place was probably a favorite of young children, resembling a playground. Since the courtyard openings are in the center of the roof, a large fence was used around the perimeter of the courtyards to prevent people from falling. This fence is transparent, allowing visitors to still look down into the yard if they wish. while being protected from falls. At night, the roof provides another unique space to look up at the sky and stargaze or to observe and enjoy the city lights. The attic also features a versatile design within Casa Mila. From the outside it is not obvious that it is an attic. There are small awning windows placed along the attic exterior of the building as well as at the top of the courtyards. These windows were placed to regulate the temperature of the building. When it is hot, the windows ventilate the building to cool it. In cold weather, windows retain heat and warm the building10. The attic also served as accommodation for servants, at the time when the Mila family lived there11. Parts of the attic have been converted into apartments by another architect, Barba Corsini, and the rest houses the Espai Gaudi12 exhibition. The interior of the attic is filled with brick arches, which appear one after the other to create a hall. The attic hallways are dark because less light comes through the small awning windows. The attic shows how Gaudi's work was also influenced by his past. Antoni Gaudi spent most of his life in Catalonia, Spain, dominated by historic Catalan Gothic and Romanesque architecture. When he was young, he and two other boys developed plans for the restoration of the Poblet Monastery, an important building for Catalan medievalists. He attended the Barcelona School of Architecture and frequently visited the city's medieval sites. The attic arches reflect the popular arches of Catalan Gothic architecture. These arcs are called catenary arcs. These are parabolic diaphragm arches that provide more support and eliminate the need for buttresses. Although Gaudi wanted his building to stand out, he had other factors to consider. It had to take into account the natural and built environment. Casa Mila was built on Pasco de Gracia, a boulevard with other modernist buildings. People wouldn't be so surprised if another modernist building was added to the boulevard, as there were several others before. Barcelona is known for its square grid plan, meaning that Gaudi had a defined space where his building would be located, within which there would be two other buildings next to it. He also had to keep the building at roughly the same height as the other buildings to maintain cohesion. Casa Mila is also a building on the corner of a city block, so the design had to accommodate that. It's also located in town, so he had to find a way to.