Antoni Gaudi

Antoni Gaudi

photo from google images

This Spanish architect used nature to inspire his design. One of the shapes that keeps appearing in his works is the parabolic arch.

This arch is used extensively in the roof of La Pedrera. His inspiration was the skeleton of a snake. He made a series of arches all connected with a spine, curving and growing and shrinking. I found this aspect of the building amazing - hundreds of arches, each arch only a few inches thick, but put together to make an extremely strong structure. A parabolic arch is extremely strong, but simple. It uses few materials. It is a wonderful place to be. The curving room adds a level of intrigue. It is the roof structure simply doing its job. It was inspired by nature and by the mathematics behind it. Links between mathematics and nature transform his architecture and the architecture of the day, and I think it can do so in the modern age. One of my favourite elements of his work is the revolutionary way he used materials. For example, the way in which the bricks are used on their sides makes the arch thin, but still strong enough to support the roof.

His work is very different from his contemporaries, but it bears many similarities to nature. Therefore the transformation of architecture was brought about by the simple fact that he looked at a different type of inspiration. His point of view was focused on the mathematics in nature. So using nature to use transform techniques and use of materials is what I have to take from this.