La Sagrada Família - Gaudí and Structural Engineering
According to Wikipedia, Gaudí initially studied architecture at the Escuela de la Lonja, an art and design school in Barcelona. Then in 1878 Gaudí graduated from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, and to help pay for his education he worked on the side as a draftsman for various architects and builders.
There are numerous other sources about Gaudí's early education, but few have really explained why he decided to move to Barcelona in 1868 to study architecture. In any case after passing a number of preparatory courses he entered the university in 1873 and completed his studies five years later. According to all the reports he was not an outstanding student.
Gaudí's farther had to sell a family property to help pay for his education, and in addition Gaudí also worked as a draftsman for several local architects. The 'Gaudí Club' website mentions him working on the apse and niche of a church, and on precision-drafting for a company making industrial machines. The advantage in working with established architects was that he had completed a kind of apprenticeship, and his talent had become evident.
As a young architect Gaudí was able to find work in the flourishing textile industry in Barcelona, and his first large project was an order to design the offices, factory and workers' housing for the Cooperativa Mataronense. This was Spain's first worker cooperative and it was making cotton goods. But at the same time the cooperative wanted also to educate the workers and provided an active social environment. Gaudí was a friend of one of the organisers, Salvador Pagés. The most important works completed by Gaudí were the bleaching room for cotton and two residential houses for thirty workers. For the bleaching room Gaudí built a brick and wooden structure.
It must be said that Gaudí often progressed by assimilating historic styles. This first project was inspired by the so-called Catalan Gothic, and the result was a replica in wood of a traditional long hall (like a great hall). Some texts state that he used 'diaphragm arches', others state he used 'parabolic arches'. Yet other texts state that the building has 'catenary arches' which were a common feature in Gothic architecture and in cathedrals, but which are not parabolic arches.
Understanding arches
The arch is an extremely important element in Gaudí's design toolbox, so we will need to understand better what an arch really is. Originally they were made of truncated wedge-shaped blocks that by mutual pressure stayed in place and took on a curved form to span an opening. Because they could support a superimposed load they were an alternative to a lintel. All forms of arches 'spring' from a solid structure called an abutment. The abutment resists the outward thrust from the load placed on the arch. There are at least 30 different types of arches, from the triangular pseudo-arch through to the rampant arch.
So what is the difference between a diaphragm arch, a parabolic arch and a catenary arch?
Firstly, the 'diaphragm arch' is the kind you see in ribbed vaults and some early roofing systems. It has its origins in the Middle East, but we know it today as a self-standing arch placed between two walls in a room, and intended to support a linteled or vaulted roof. Initially they simply supported a flat linteled roof, and later they were built as a series of parallel arches supporting a transversal barrel vault. For more information on the origins of the 'diaphragm arch' check out this extensive article.
To explain the 'parabolic arch' we are going to need just a little touch of geometry. We can see below that we can cut through a cone in several different ways. These are the so-called 'conic sections', and there are three types, i.e. the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse (the circle is a special case of an ellipse). The parabola is formed by a cut through the cone in a plane that is parallel to the tangent to the conical surface, i.e. parallel to the sloping side of the cone. The hyperbola is just as cut through the cone that need not be parallel to the tangent to the conical surface, and in this sense the parabola is a special case of a hyperbola.
The great thing about these conical sections is that the shape of the curve follows a quadratic equation with two variables, so they are not complicated equations.
With the parabolic arch the weight, when applied uniformly, follows the arch profile and produces the most thrust at the base, and this type of arch can span very large areas. It is commonly used in bridge design, where long spans are needed.
The example we have shown above is actually a droneport prototype made for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016. This type of structure is stressed by its own weight and is equally stable under compression when loaded. We can see that it creates a smooth undulating surface not unlike some of those found on La Sagrada Família.
A catenary arch is similar to a parabolic arch, but is usually less sharp and considered by many to be more elegant. The shape is formed by simply hanging something like a chain under its own weight, and supported only at its ends. Now if you invert the shape you have a catenary arch which is strong in that it redirects a vertical force into a compression force pressing along the arch's curve and into the ground, and the line of thrust runs through the centre and stays within the curve.
This article clearly shows the difference, the red line is the catenary (just like our chain hanging from two fixed points), and the blue line is a parabola constrained to start and end at the same points and to hang to the same depth. We can see that initially (at 0) the catenary grows slightly more slowly, but then it actually starts to grow faster than the parabola.
There are references dating back to 1670 where the question was asked concerning the idea shape for an arch, and how much thrust does it impose on the buttresses. In 1675 Robert Hooke (1635-1703) wrote "as hangs the flexible line, so but inverted will stand the rigid arch". So the idea was simple, that arches would behave as hanging cables. The technique was often used, and even as early as 1818 there was a proposal to create an architecture based upon catenary shapes. After 1840 the experimental approach was integrated into a theory of thrust and the method of graphical statics (often known as the Cremona diagram).
This understanding found its way into another area, the dome. Again I think it was on Robert Hooke's suggestion that if you rotate a thin catenary arch you obtain a catenary dome, which also requires no buttresses (this can also be achieved by other dome shapes but they can not be of uniform thickness).
One of the most complete texts on the remodelling and restoration of the Cooperativa Mataronense clearly states numerous times that the arches were parabolic. However most texts suggest that Gaudí used the catenary arch because, for the same footprint, it rises faster and creates a higher roof space. For example in the Wikipedia article on Casa Milà the author states that Gaudí used catenary arches for both Casa Milà and Casa Batiló. And the author goes on to write that Gaudí also used catenary arches for the Cooperativa Mataronense! So as you can guess because they look very similar, there is much confusion. Some texts write 'parabolic or catenary' as if 'catenary' is just another name for a parabolic arch.
In a more general article on the use of the catenary arch throughout history the author actually maps a stretched catenary curve to an example taken from Casa Milà. The author also noted that in Casa Milà there is (or was) a sculpture of hanging chains. Again the modelling of a catenary arch falls perfectly on one of the hanging chains.
The author concluded by noting that the inverted catenary is used for the arch shape of kilns, because it is a form that provides the greatest strength and stability for a kiln that has to support extreme variations in temperature whilst preserving its integrity.
Despite the fact that only one section of the factory was built, the project itself was presented at the Paris World Fair of 1878. At the same time Gaudí also presented in Paris a showcase for prêt-à-porter gloves for the shop of Esteban Comella (see Vitrina Comella). It was this showcase that caught the attention of the industrialist Eusebi Güell, who would later become Gaudí's friend and one of his most important benefactors.
After Paris, Gaudí increasingly collaborated with the architect Joan Martorell, who had once been one of his professors. It was Martorell who taught Gaudí graphic statics, which he would later use to create vaulted ceilings without the use of buttresses. Martorell would formally introduce Gaudí to Güell, and as head of the selection committee would ensure that Gaudí took over the design and construction of La Sagrada Família when the original architect Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano retired in 1883 (del Villar had also been one of Gaudí's professors). The story goes that Martorell disagreed with del Villar about the materials to be used for the new church, and so del Villar stepped down and was replaced by Martorell's young assistant, Gaudí.
Gaudí would dedicate the next 43 years of his life to La Sagrada Família.
Gaudí would almost constantly receive commissions, but he also had many critics who considered his designs as abstract or not natural (according to traditional forms of construction). There was an element of truth in this, in that the appearance was often abstract, however it was built from geometric, natural and common features seen in everyday life. The abstract appearance was just because the natural shapes and forms were not immediately evident when used together. This being said Gaudí was fond of using well known shapes and geometric forms and making them look unique and abstract.
La Sagrada Família evolved over a considerable time period, and is still evolving. In part many of the original plans were lost in the Spanish Civil War, so it is not clear what Gaudí's intentions were. This is all the more true because he was integrating different artistic movements into the final building, a building often called 'The Bible in Stone'. Part of the building is very much academic Gothic, in the overall design and the materials used. The elaborate carving around the doors echo's the detailed carving seen around entrances built in the French Gothic style. Stain glass was also used in both Catalan and French Gothic styles.
Weaving with Gaudí
This may be stretching a metaphor too far, but at times it looks as if Gaudí saw the structural components of La Sagrada Família as organic components weaved into a single protective space. As if he saw columns and arches as making a kind of supporting lattice over which he could stretch a protective covering. Much as our ancestors might have woven natural fibres together to create a form of textile which they would then use to cover a simple lattice of cut branches, e.g. maybe a rudimentary kind of tent or yurt.
Is it too much to imagine that the Gothic cathedral reflected this same approach. A structure of columns and arched ribs (e.g. trunks and branches) over which a tightly woven mesh of liernes and tiercerons was pulled. This enabled the architects of Flamboyant Gothic to introduce the ogee arch and double curved vaults with curvilinear ribs, creating interlaced roof traceries leading up into the tops of the arches. Looking at the cathedral roof's of Gloucester then of Seville can we not begin to see the way the columns continuously transform themselves to ever smaller ribs, and the way the vaulted roof appears to float above us like a canopy of branches and leaves.
Did Gaudí look to the Flamboyant Gothic for inspiration?
Certainly there is a similar aesthetic, but equally a similar need to transfer the horizontal mass of the roof through to the vertical columns.
Through to about 1100 AD the Romanesque style church had been the dominant style, however the semicircular arch had its limitations. This type of arch had to support the weight caused by the outward thrust of the rounded arches and ceilings pushing on the walls. So the walls were the main support for the ceiling, and therefore they could only accept small openings for windows and doors. This made the interiors dark and limited the size such a church could have. Equally, trying to limit the weight on the walls, these type of churches had timber roofs which we're a fire risk.
There was increasing pressure to build bigger churches and to include large windows to allow in lots of light and colour. Initially this was not possible with the simple barrel vault, then builders were able to join two barrel vaults at right-angles, in what is called a groin vault. Intersecting barrel vaults allowed builders to add some side vaults allowing more air and light into the church. Also a vault built at right-angles to another added to the overall stability of both. So going vaults are intrinsically stronger than barrel vaults, but are more complex to construct. Also the churches could be enlarged somewhat by adding buttresses to the support the walls, and adding ambulatories and walkways. Around 1100 AD the pointed or ogive arch appeared allowing bigger windows and more light to enter (a type of arch that certainly dates back to 300 BC). The ribs that made up the pointed arches when integrated into the roof structure help transfer the weight of ceiling downwards to the walls. So using these new arches, vaulted ceilings with ribs and flying buttresses they could start to build bigger churches. The external aesthetics of these new churches was not always appreciated, and it quickly acquired the name 'Gothic' as a reminder of the terrible invading barbarians.
Pointed arches with their ribs could be extended upwards to greater heights, and the distance between columns and piers could be enlarged. The arches from the top of the piers could crisscross and lock together making vaulted ceilings tightly held together with boss stones. Over time arches became even more strongly pointed and even taller. With the ribs of the arches pushing against the piers supported by flying buttresses, the weight was no longer distributed to the walls. Now they could have large windows allowing plenty of light into the interior.
It was said that you could remove the walls and the entire Gothic church would still stand. Below we have a detailed description of all the elements that made up the Gothic church.
I suppose the real question for the rest of this webpage is how Gaudí went from the above to the below?
The use of a complex and dense mesh of arched ribs, liernes and tiercerons acts like a textile, distributing the stresses and tensions across the entire surface. Double curved surfaces, with a mesh of ribs, the use of central rosettes, and the appearance of large expanses of windows with colour glass creates an increasing bond between the exterior and interior of the great churches. Just as the profusion of decoration on the exterior reminds us of the complex patters we find in lace, so now the interior also started to look like a finely made lace tablecloth.
Gaudí and La Sagrada Família sit firmly in what is called Catalan modernism ('modernisme'), often today associated with the issue of 'Catalan identity'. But more generally it was part of the Art Nouveau movement, and therefore also closely related to movements such as Liberty, Jugendstil, Sezession, etc. that blossomed around Europe at that time. These interrelated movements ran from about 1890 through to 1910 and we are told that they were generally inspired by the curved lines of plants and flowers. Some people saw the movement as being very ornate and colourful, inspired by the peacock feather and flowers such as the carnation. Others looked for inspiration to tulips and the water-lily root. The Catalan movement was far less 'discerning' and threw lots of styles into the pot, e.g. Gothic architecture, bright coloured and iridescent surfaces, glazed earthenware, mosaics of broken China and pebbles, a love of spiral and asymmetric chimney stacks, and everywhere uncompromising irregularity, undulating boundaries and grand sweeping curves.
Practicalities
This discussion about water-lilys and lace might appear a little too abstract for some people, so let's try to give it some practical significance. One of Gaudí's projects was the Church of Colònia Güell, which was never finished, but the crypt (the foundation level) can still be visited.
Gaudí was a capable draftsman but he also liked to create models for his projects, and the way he did this was to use chains or weighted strings. This was a way to visualise the catenary curves that he wanted to create in the finished building. These models could take some considerable time to create, but they had the advantage that any changes were immediately 'recomputed' throughout the rest of the model. Once the model was completed he would look at it using a mirror placed underneath or by taking photographs. So the 'hanging chains' models represented the arches he wanted to create, all designed to scale (the hanging points and the weights in the small sacks had to be finely scaled to what was to be built). Below we can see what such a model would looked like, and it is said that the model for the Church of Colònia Güell was developed over a 10 year period.
Today this type of modelling can be done with CAD systems and with specialise 3-D modelling software where you can move, cut, and add stings and weights to the wire frame. Below you can see in the Colonia Güell interpretation centre how the chain model would have mapped to the actual building.
This approach enabled Gaudí to integrate a very traditional masonry technique into a new and innovative design. Catalan masonry, a name attributed in 1904 to a very traditional building technique, enable Gaudí to 'fill-in' the spaces between his optimally efficient curves. The strings and small weights allowed him to create catenary curves that naturally distribute the static load. When flipped vertically and built with stone and brick the static load becomes an evenly distributed compressive load.
Catenary curves
The term often used to describe the technique used by Gaudí is 'parametric modelling'. In its simplest form what Gaudí is doing is using gravity to determine the shape of a 'system' and the 'parameters' that determine that shape are the length of the wires, the positions of the anchor points, and the position and weights of the sandbags used.
Another, more precise, term often used to describe the technique used by Gaudí is 'tridimensional funicular modelling'. The view here is that the strings materialise the hierarchy of diaphragms, arches, and oblique pillars that would be made of brick fabric and stone. The presumption is that the stability of the building will depend upon the funicular-type balance of forces among the elements of the whole structural system.
The only part of the church built, the crypt, has been modelled to understand the gravity loads and to relate that to the damage observed in the structure. This study tried to assess how effective the technique was. The crypt was in fact the first large structure laid out from scratch using tridimensional funicular modelling (the foundation plan for La Sagrada Família had already been established when Gaudí took control). In addition, the crypt, the structural based for the planned church, was studied as it might have adapted to the hypothetical completion of the construction.
Above we can see the computer generated image of the crypt with stress patterns (red for high stress and blue for very low stress) representing axial, shear, bending and torsion forces. This gives a good impression of the overall equilibrium of the existing crypt. Such models allow experts to 'drill down' and exam in great detail particular sections of the structure.
What we can see above is the high tension zones in red, and in fact there was a correlation seen between those zones and cracks observed in the structure. In addition there are cracks that are not predicted with the model, and these have been attributed to what is called 'hydraulic shrinkage', i.e. the way mortar shrinks as it sets.
So now we have the parabolic arch, the catenary arch, and the funicular arch. This third type of arch is one that follows what is called funicular geometry, which is the geometry of funicular structures. In fact funicular geometry follows the shape of a hanging catenary chain or string if the load applied is distributed uniformly, i.e. the catenary arch is a special case of a funicular structure.
What does this mean in practice? If you think of a hanging cable, it will deform in a way that is dependent upon the magnitude and location of weights (external forces) placed on it. The shape of the cable is often called the funicular shape. Only tension forces will be developed in the cable. But inverting the structural form you obtain a new structure that is exactly analogous to the cable structure except that compression rather than tension forces are now developed. Just as the links in the chain are connected, it is possible to construct the identical arch shape using a simple stack of elements that are non-rigidly connected (a 'compression chain') and the structure would be stable. Of course any non-rigidly connected arch would bend or even collapse if the load changed. These tensile and compressive structures are collectively called funicular structures.
They were well known structures even in antiquity. Bridges made of bamboo and of chains were known as early as the 1st C AD. However the first chain-suspended bridge was built in the Swiss Alps only in 1218, and it was not until 1741 that a permanent iron chain footbridge was built in England. The principle is seen in what are called suspension bridged.
On the other hand, the funicular arch maintains its curved geometry through compressive forces developed between adjacent blocks. Masonry would crack under tension stresses, but normally an arch is loaded by its distributed self-weight. A concentrated load can cause bending of the arch, and possibly failure. However arches attached to walls resist better because the point force is more uniformly distributed, and shape changes to the arch are restrained. In any case the dead load usually far exceed live loads (e.g. the weight of the arches and what they support far exceeds the weight of people walking through the building). So compressive forces associated with the dead load dominate over any added tension forces, and usually these type of arches can support quite varied live-loading variations.
Just as a point of order, imagining the structures built by Gaudí we might forget that you can also build arches and roof's with cast iron and steel beams, prestressed concrete and steel cables. These materials also allow us to built arches, values, and domes which don't require buttresses. These domes and roof's will be lighter than the equivalent brick, stone and cement structures. Let's face it, we don't cover football pitches with concrete domes. These material allow architects to create so-called 'hypar' roofs, or hyperboloid structures, which today are often made of steel cables and canvas. The roof of La Sagrada Família falls into this general category. These types of 'saddle roofs' distribute both compression and tension force when under uniform load, e.g like snow, etc. Another form we now often see is the geodesic dome, which at least superficially is closely related to the classical domed roof.
Stone and cement
Relevant to the work of Gaudí and La Sagrada Família is the fact that these new types of roof are dependent upon a lightweight truss structure that is largely in tension. Consequently, the development depended on the appearance of high-tensile-strength materials, i.e. as in reinforced concrete structures where no external forces are required. Below we can see the roof being constructed in 2009.
One of the key features of this type of construction, and a feature eminently visible in the La Sagrada Família is that modern thin-shell structures rely upon curvature to distributed static load (i.e. dead weight).
Above we can see the builders pouring cement over reinforcing, but we have to remember that the foundations were laid in 1882, so over the past 120-odd years building practices have changed.
Gaudí had used a very durable siliceous sandstone from the Montjuïc hill in Barcelona. However the last quarries on Montjuïc closed in the 1970's, and work had to continue using rescued stone from other buildings and limited stocks with specialist companies. The builders have had to overcome this problem by sourcing new stone from Galicia, Scotland, England, and France.
As you can guess La Sagrada Família not only requires substantial quantities of stone, but it also uses a very large amount of cement. Gaudí had used some cement on the pinnacles of one of the façades, but the use of high-strength concrete only started in 1998. This concrete is used for the columns in the transept, the support of the towers, and support for the central dome. The use of high-strength concrete meant that they could reduce the need for steel reinforcement, and limit the diameter of the support columns. What they have used is a so-called 'white concrete' that looks similar to the stone originally used by Gaudí ('white cement' is a mix of white cement, non-coloured additives and limestone). A lot of the cement was poured in-situ, but the big columns in the nave were prefabricated. The concrete used in the roof was prepared in moulds and lifted into place. Some text refer to this type of high-strength cement as 'liquid stone'.
Gaudí also used what was then the novel 'reinforced concrete', and he experimented with prefabrication, however today prefabrication has become the dominant technique. According to the experts its the only way that the church can be finished by 2026.
In addition to the Montjuïc stone and the cement used for the main structural elements, there is a whole variety of stone used for different aesthetic reasons both on the façades and in the interior. There is a list of the stone used on the Sagrada Família blog, and it includes stone from Brazil, Iran, and Italy, as well as from different places all over Spain. All told it is said that more than 50 different types of stone have been used so far in the building.
Project Summary:
- 6 towers designed in prestressed stone.
- 172.5m will be the height of the central Jesus Tower when complete.
- 40% of the project will be completed between 2016 and 2026.
The team were aware that towers built in traditional masonry or earthquake resistant reinforced concrete (with stone cladding) would make the towers too heavy for the foundations and crypt below. Instead we developed a scheme using the stone itself as structure, producing a beautiful finish as reducing the weight of the tower by a factor of two. This approach also reduced built cost and accelerated the construction programme.
Courtesy of Heidelberg Cement Group
"The work of the Arup team has allowed to built the central towers with the innovative technique of prestressed stone. We value their rigour and the research for the most effective, clear and simple solutions."
Jordi Fauli
Architectural Director, Sagrada Familia Foundation.
Courtesy of Heidelberg Cement Group
The resulting design used pre-stressed stone masonry panels as the primary structural element. Pre-stressing provides greater strength to the panels, allowing them to be accurately fabricated remotely, transported to site and easily assembled on site by crane. This solution also allows the panels to resist stresses imposed by wind and earthquakes.
Courtesy of ARUP
Arup modelled each and every component in 3D to a construction level of detail (including nuts, bar threads, couplers, fillets and chamfers). Carefully designed connections ensure that when panels are craned into place, they fit together like Lego blocks, without further adjustment.
Courtesy of ARUP
The pre-stressed stone panel method echoes the pure masonry construction used in the earlier construction of Sagrada, while the more modern off-site manufacture approach guarantees consistently high quality. Installing a 5m tall by 4m wide panel now take 30 minutes, saving time and enabling a safer construction process - important as the basilica will remain open during the final years of the build.
Human, Digital, Physical
In all of the work on the Sagrada Familia, Arup have used a new generation of digital tools to produce workable structural designs. This parametric approach combines deep human knowledge of the structural variables in the Towers form and position, with powerful algorithmic tools that could model the hundreds of subtle variations of geometries for the design. This human-plus-digital ethos was the best way to make Gaudi's design pragmatic to construct in a realistic time-frame, and would have been unrealistically laborious to carry out cutting without cutting-edge technology.
Courtesy of ARUP
Arup experienced working alongside 2BMFG Architects and the Sagrada Familia Foundation has demonstrated how the near-limitless capacity of digital tools, used creatively by human beings with their experience and insight, can solve almost any engineering challenges - even on projects as singular as Gaudi's church. Design of the towers is now complete and construction of the tower dedicated to The Mother of God has reached the ninth level by February 2017.
Courtesy of Heidelberg Cement Group
Digital model is then used to automatically cut the individual blocks of stone that are accurately fabricated into a panel using lase cut plywood templates; pre-stressed with machined stainless steel bars; and assembled on site.
Watch the video below from the La Sagrada Familia Foundation to discover more about the central towers are being raised:
Basílica de la Sagrada Família
11K subscribers
2016 Levantamos las torres centrales | Raising the central towersAn error occurred.
Courtesy of Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
Arup is now helping the Sagrada Familia team with the design of nucleus, stair and lift within the Jesus Christ tower, the roof for the Nave and the pinnacles that will complete the tops of the towers for this breath-taking church.
Courtesy of ARUP
Courtesy of ARUP
Construction Photographs:
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Photograph Courtesy: Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group
Planta De La Sagrada Familia
https://chitiya.blog/2016/09/26/gaudi-y-la-geometria/
http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/barcelona_catechism
https://es.slideshare.net/z4haRy/abside-de-la-sagrada-familia-original
string model colonia guell
http://oa.upm.es/703/1/Huerta_Art_002.pdf
https://books.google.lu/books?id=nG-lCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=early+education+of+gaudi&source=bl&ots=6e3NOAX6Lh&sig=ACfU3U17UKQ4AkyhrCu3i18JfW7vWhxFhA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjhZekw57jAhWQfFAKHQZGDew4FBDoATACegQIBRAB#v=onepage&q=early%20education%20of%20gaudi&f=false
Let's visit La Sagrada Família
The first problem is that we need to 'find our bearings'. We need a general map or site plan.
The plan above is a good starting point, as is the satellite image below. The 'Glory' façade is intended as the main entrance to the church when finished, however today the entrance for tourists is though the 'Nativity' façade. There is a metro station but we were dropped off by taxi at the South corner in front of the 'Escoles de Gaudí' (there is also a taxi rank near the 'Botiga'). We had pre-booked tickets for 12:30 so we had time to stroll around the external perimeter of the site. As we strolled along what is the back of the church we saw the ticket office near the West corner with 'Provença' and 'Sardenya'. The sign clearly said it was closed because the church was already fully-booked for that day.
Below we have a close-up of the front entrance, where there were several entry points. The main entrance is in front of the stairs on the right, and there is an entrance for groups in front on the stairs on the left. We can see the church shop on the corner. We arrived slightly early and the guard kindly suggested we try the entrance further along the street, i.e. where there is a small white roof overhanging the pavement. This entrance is fo people with mobility problems, and for small groups led by official guides. We waited our turn, passed through the security portal and bag scanning area, and went up to the first level in front of the 'Nativity' façade.
According to all the books and plans the intended main entrance is through the 'Glory' façade. On the plans we see a majestic terrace and set of stairs passing over Carrer de Mallorca. The problem I see is that those main stairs are situated where there are now several apartment buildings, and I don't see how they are going to knock them down, etc.
We are going to first look at the 'Nativity' façade, but it is useful to get an idea about how the interior is arranged. Above we can see that we are at the 'Nativity' entrance (No. 3 'Fachada del Nacimiento'). The general sense of the visit is to enter the right transept and to walk anti-clockwise leaving through the 'Passion' entrance (No. 2 'Fachada del Pasión').
What it will look like when finished?
https://ovacen.com/sagrada-familia/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=85&v=chawIwSQNUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=77&v=RcDmloG3tXU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=UJ8NcKNlZzg
In 2014, with the building 60% complete, the Sagrada Familia Foundation approached Arup to help with the remaining structural design, particularly how to produce the remaining six towers, dedicated to the Four Evangelists, The Mother of God (Mare de Deu) and Jesus Christ.
https://blog.sagradafamilia.org/en/specialists/double-twist-columns/
La Sagrada Familia is a church with 5 naves with a transept of 3 that form a Latin cross. The 6 towers above the transept and the apse remain to be built.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES AND GEOMETRY
The starting point for the Sagrada Familia was Gothic architecture, which Gaudí modified and improved on to offer a new architecture which, due to its originality, makes this temple unique.
The Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia is a church with a central nave flanked by four aisles, and transepts with a central nave flanked by two aisles, forming a Latin cross. The top of the cross is closed by the semi-circular apse. The basilica also has three monumental facades, each one representing one of the three crucial events of Christ’s existence: his birth (Marina Street, this is the facade we are studying); his Passion, Death and Resurrection (Sardenya Street); and his present and future Glory (Mallorca Street).
https://www.upc.edu/en/press-room/news/the-nativity-facade-of-the-sagrada-familia-in-3d
The Nativity façade
After undertaking the project, Gaudí finished the construction of the crypt in 1889, and at the same time started on the construction of the walls of the apse, which were finished in 1894.
The work on the foundations of the Nativity facade began in 1892. On November of 1925 the first tower was finished, with a total height of 98 meters. The construction of the rest of the towers was finally completed in 1930. The remaining parts, such as the cypress pinnacle and the lanterns of the Hope and Faith portals, were finished before the Spanish Civil War in 1935.
In October 2010, the tunnel-boring machine dug through the soil layers only 4m away from where the Sagrada Familia’s principal facades foundation lies (see report here). It was envisaged that settlement of up to 22 mm could occur due to the construction of the AVE line, but to date there has been no reported damage to the Sagrada Familia.
On the other hand since the construction of the façade a considerable number of cracks have appeared, and have been repaired. These cracks are due to cracking in the interior walls. Below we can see just a few of the many repairs made to the façade and supporting walls.
The Nativity façade ('Façana del Naixement' in Catalan) is the only part of the church actually built by Gaudí himself.
https://www.upc.edu/ca/sala-de-premsa/noticies/la-facana-del-naixement-de-la-sagrada-familia-en-3d
http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/CA012a.htm
embedded religious symbolism in each aspect of La Sagrada Familia, creating a visual representation of Christian beliefs. He designed three iconic facades for the basilica, the Glory, Nativity, and Passion facades, facing south, east, and west, respectively. The sculpting of the Nativity facade recalls smooth, intricate corbelling and was overseen by Gaudi. The Passion Facade is characterized by the work of Josep Maria Subirachs, whose angular sculptures extend the modernist character of the temple. The sculptor Etsuro Sotoo is responsible for the window ornaments and finials, which symbolize the Eucharist.
central nave soars to a height of 45 meters, and is designed to resemble a forest of multi-hued piers in Montjuïc and granite. The piers change in cross section from base to terminus, increasing in number of vertices from polygonal to circular. The slender, bifurcating columns draw the eye upward, where light filters through circular apertures in the vaults. These are finished in Venetian glass tiles of green and gold, articulating the lines of the hyperboloids.
http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/CA012a.htm
The ceiling
Only one person has really managed to capture the ceiling in all its splendour, and that is Helen Betts. She has posted some fantastic photographs, some of which I have reproduced here (hope she does not mind).
Progress
https://www.arup.com/projects/sagrada-familia
The future
When building works take forever and it seems as though they will never end, the popular saying says that “they are taking as long as those of the Sagrada Familia”. Joan Rigol, president of the preservation society, yesterday confirmed that this could no longer be said from September 2010. In fact, the building work will be finished before then. |
https://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/cl/02-87531/clasicos-de-arquitectura-sagrada-familia-antoni-gaudi/geoa
http://profelagrottaarte.blogspot.com/2017/05/gaudi-ficha-6-templo-expiatorio-de-la.html
http://www.iwate-kokyo.info/imageggkl-gaudi-sagrada-familia-plan.shtm
https://es.wikiarquitectura.com/edificio/sagrada-familia/
Once completed, La Sagrada Familia will feature eighteen towers composed to present a unique view of the temple from any single vantage point. Four bell towers representing the Apostles crown each facade, reaching approximately 100 meters in height. At the north end, a tower representing the Virgin Mary will stand over the apse. The central tower will reach 72 meters in height and symbolize Christ, surrounded by four towers representing the Evangelists.
References
The Lasting Relationship between Antonio Gaudí and Barcelona, Erica Cline, Master's Theses, 2011
Remodelació i Restauració de la Nau de Blanqueig de la Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense Projectada per Antoni Gaudí, Manuel Brullet i Tenas
The Catenary - Art, Architecture, History, and Mathematics, Gail Kaplan
Gaudí's Hanging Chain Models, Rafael Gomez-Moriana, 2012
Studies of Gaudí's "Cripta de la Colonia Güell", P. Roca, 1996
Structural Design in the Work of Gaudí, Santiago Huerta, 2006
On the edge…
What we see above is on the left the analysis of Caesare Caesariano of the cross-section through Milan Cathedral. The idea is that the cathedral was built according to a Masonic system 'Ad Triangulum', a mystical geometry that is said to have also been adopted by Gaudí. On the right we have a drawing from Gaudí said to show an identical system of 'sacred geometry' as used in Milan, just adapted to his new construction.
Journal of Geomancy
http://www.bobforrestweb.co.uk/Home_Page.htm
The year 1977 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of one of the most remarkable architects of the modern – indeed any – era. Antoni Gaudí constructed few works which still survive, and many of his extant buildings are either unfinished or have been modified. One can look in vain for the name Gaudí in mystical or geomantic publications – his life’s works are usually illustrated in architectural books as oddities, curios and the works of an eccentric madman. If they are ever categorized, they are placed in the pigeonhole of “art nouveau”, a useless definition, as his buildings pre- and post-date that architectural movement, if movement it can be called.
However, despite this almost total neglect as anything but a phenomenon of individualism, Gaudí stands as one of the major mystical architects of the modern age. His major works were all carried out in and around Barcelona, capital city of Catalonia, at present occupied by Spain, the first reason for his mystical obscurity. Secondly, he was a Roman Catholic mystic of the first order – an unpopular attribute in Northern Europe, and one which spelt doom for much of his work in Barcelona during the Anarchist revolution of 1936. Thirdly, much of his work was never finished, owing to its long-term visionary character, and fourthly, architects, versed only in the self-styled Modern Movement, compare his works with the modern architecture of Loos, Gropius and Oud, which was being built towards the end of Gaudí’s life, when he was building the Expiatory Temple of the Sacred Family (Sagrada Familia).
When Gaudí’s background and intense religious belief are taken into account, startling new facts emerge as to his position in the geomantic tradition. Despite the ravages of the Spanish Civil War, enough has survived to ensure Gaudí’s fame. During his long life (1852–1926), he was involved with several major projects, several of them ecclesiastical. After constructing several palaces and houses for industrialists and ecclesiastics, Gaudí was entrusted with the construction of a massive expiatory temple in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia, intended to represent the renaissance of the city. This building, which occupied the latter part of his life, was a modern counterpart of mediaeval mystical architecture, like King’s College Chapel, Chartres Cathedral or Lincoln Cathedral.
Originally designed by Paula del Villar, it was commenced in 1882. After arguments with the patron’s advisor, Villar resigned the post of architect, and Gaudí was appointed. Already well known for his religious buildings and fittings such as the altar at the College of Jesus and Mary at Tarragona, the church of the Benedictine Convent of Villaricos and the Camarin of the Virgin at Montserrat, Gaudí modified the design and plan of the Sagrada Familia in tune with his own ideas. Building of the Sagrada Familia continued, but to the new plans (see cover illustrations). The apse partially completed by Villar was retained, but a new constructional system was added, along with a comprehensive system of symbolism and geometry.
Just as the mediaeval cathedrals often took centuries to complete, so the Sagrada Familia was conceived in the same ethos – the finest workmanship, the finest materials – to the glory of God. As construction went ahead, Gaudí took on many other architectural and geomantic projects. Between 1889 and 1894, he designed and built the College of Santa Teresa of Jesus in the Calle de Granduxer in Barcelona. This building is remarkable in being the first ever to use parabolic arches in its construction.
His finest geomantically-determined work was not strictly a building. Between 1900 and 1914, he designed and executed a park for his wealthy patron Eusebio Güell. Known as the Park Güell, it has been called one of the most brilliant, unrestrained and yet most controlled and rational works of art of our century, seen by architects and art historians as the {35} most complete expression of landscape gardening – an extension of the formal layouts of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. However, what is not realized by art historians is that these sixteenth and seventeenth century layouts were themselves derived from the geomantically-designed layouts of the late Middle Ages, the end of a millennia-old tradition. Gaudí’s work, when seen in this light, takes on a new significance. The Park Güell fulfils all the criteria for a geomantic work, modifying nature to create a new environment which merges with, rather than destroys, the natural. A rational system of geometry underlies the sinuous, natural forms, just as the universal geometry underlies the structure of all matter in the universe. The Park remains intact today, one of the last geomantic works erected in Europe,
A major ecclesiastical edifice, of which only the crypt was ever built, was Gaudí’s chapel of Sta. Coloma, at Cervelló in Barcelona. In its positioning and from surviving drawings of it as it would have been when complete, it is seen to grow organically from the place selected, an enhancement of its site rather than a ‘sore thumb’ as modern architecture would be. All the time the Sagrada Familia was an ongoing project, Gaudí continued with other projects, those which survive being still tourist attractions and remarkable edifices in themselves. One project, which still exists as a building, but which was never completed as the architect wanted it, was the Casa Milá, known universally as ‘La Pedrera’ (the stone quarry), which was built between 1905 and 1910. Without a single straight wall, the building is like a solidified wave, ebbing and flowing. Seven storeys in height, it was to have been, in Gaudí’s concept, a public monument to the Virgin of the Rosary, and was to have had a vast statue of the Virgin on the top, the seven-storey building acting merely as a monstrous plinth.
Like many of his visionary projects, the Virgin remained unbuilt. The anarchist insurrections of July 1909 (Semana Trágica) led to the proletarian hatred of the repression endorsed by the church being vented on the buildings and members of the Church. The army and police put down the spontaneous uprising with bloody brutality, reinforcing the hate. Gaudí’s patron, fearing lest his building should be mistaken as belonging to the Church, forbade the construction of the monster Virgin.
Despite these works, which by themselves would place Gaudí in the position of a phenomenon, he is remembered mainly for the Sagrada Familia. In this massive visionary work, Gaudí attempted, by applying the ancient masonic and geomantic principles, to create the Great Work, a building which embodied in its structure, geometry, positioning and ornament the principles underlying Creation. Using the images of the macrocosm, the Sagrada Familia was the creation of the microcosm. Only one entrance-façade, along with its bell-towers, has so far been built. The photograph on the cover of the Journal (top left) shows the towers as they were at the time of the architect’s death in 1926.
Gaudí’s original drawings, reproduced on the cover, show an amazing construction, one which would take a century and more to realize. Based on a double square, the groundplan reproduces the ancient system of ‘ad quadratum’, the system used in mediaeval Romanesque and gothic cathedrals (see J. Geomancy 1/1). Gaudí carefully worked out the elevations visible from all angles, and harmonized the proportions in accordance with the other masonic geometrical system ‘ad triangulum.’ The cross-sections reproduced here show a correlation in working methods. On the left is the cross-section of Milan Cathedral, which embodies in its proportions the system ‘ad triangulum.’ On the right is Gaudí’s drawing of the cross-section of the Sagrada Familia, in which his revolutionary parabolic-stressing mechanisms (which obviated the necessity for gothic-style buttresses) is combined with the ancient ‘ad triangulum’ system. A close similarity to Milan. In Gaudí’s words “… we do not copy the forms, but we are able to endow them with a precise character which retains their spirit”.
{36}
After 1914, Gaudí’s life revolved around the Sagrada Familia. He moved into a small room at the site offices, and concerned himself only with his religious devotions and the work in hand. Conceived as the Great Work, a mystical poem in stone and glass, the Sagrada Familia was supremely an organic work, whose every part was related to the other, under the sole control of the great architect. Each part of the church had its own thematic continuity, linked to the liturgical rules of Roman Catholicism. Apart from the crypt, by the time of his death in 1926 (knocked down by a tram), Gaudí had built the Portal of the Nativity, and the four bell-towers, which today are the worldwide symbol, not only of the architect, but also of the city of Barcelona. Symbolic carvings bristle all over the surface of the façade, many being made from moulds taken from living models. Others, higher up, are formed from models which were photographically modified so that foreshortening would not alter their visible proportions. All these are integrated in a total synthesis of mammoth mystical proportions, exalting God and man beyond the level of everyday existence into a world of revelation.
The transcendent nature of Gaudí’s building operations is apparent from the illustrations reproduced here. Only a visionary mystic would attempt such a work. In some countries, attempting such a work would have been doomed under the welter of rigid bureaucratic planning permissions – in fact the same applies to the mediaeval cathedrals – would they be permitted today? The spirit has gone from modern churches – they are mere shells of concrete or brick, worthy as bus stations or factories, but lacking the geomantic arts and sacred geometry of former times.
To deal with the works and principles of a true master like Gaudí in such a short article is merely scratching the surface. Much of his work was destroyed in 1936, but some of his writings survive. Being in Catalan, they are not available to the English-speaking researcher. However, here is such a unique figure in modern architectural practice that further research from a geomantic direction is rendered essential. His architecture may have not influenced others, as did Gropius, Le Corbusier, van der Rohe et al., but his principles, methods of selecting sites and techniques may prove more important by far in the long run. Dismissed by the materialist as superstition, geomancy has been thrown out, like the baby with the bathwater, with those elements which are superstition in the pejorative sense of the word. Gaudí makes a good starting-point for the re-recognition of the useful side of geomancy, the study and use in everyday life of which the Institute of Geomantic Research was formed to assist. Anyone with an interest in Gaudí and his principles is urged to contact the author at I.G.R.
Tomlow, J., The spirit of calculation in the architectural work of Antoni Gaudí, in: Gaudí 2002
Miscelánea. Edición conmemorativo del Año Internacional Gaudí. (catalan/spanish/english
Gaudí 2002. Miscellany) Instituto de Cultura de Barcelona. Barcelona 2002, p.176-199 (Nr.
59; no pictures) reviewed translation by Paul Kalkhoven 2008
Jos Tomlow
The Spirit of Calculation in the Architectural Work of Antoni Gaudí
The two main strategies of structural design related to the term ”calculation“ by Gaudí are the
graphic static method and the hanging model method. Both methods were applied mainly to
vaulting, in order to calculate compression forces, although with the graphic static method
Gaudí also took tension forces in account, as we will see in the Sagrada Familia calculation.
The hanging model is the superior of the two – at least theoretically – since it does not only
analyze a given structural shape, but also generates the shape in a form-finding process.
Related to these calculation methods is Gaudí‘s sophisticated attitude towards complex
geometrical and – to a lesser degree – free organic shapes in structural design. However, it
is important to state that his use of complex geometry is not an integral part of his static
methods (1). Gaudí‘s use of complex geometrical forms based on cone sections and ruled
surfaces may rather be regarded as a rational way to construct his visionary structural
solutions (2).
By 1800, the hanging model method, or more exact, the idea that an inverted chain
generates an optimized arch shape, was well known throughout Europe via a range of
architectural textbooks (3). However, in the first decades of the 19
th
C. many different
“theories” and opinions competed about the static behavior of vaults, including bridges, and
uncertainties about them were common. In order to make Gaudí’s calculation methods
transparent, it might be interesting to analyze some of his forerunners in the field of
catenaries and hanging models. These forerunners are all German examples from1818-
1840, which were recently historically analyzed. The author wants to stipulate that the cases
discussed here are methodically comparable with Gaudí’s use of statics, but that Gaudí did
probably not know of any of them, and certainly not in detail. As we will see, the impact of the
statical method on the architectural design is quite considerable and often the architect in
charge had to struggle with theoretical, technical and even financial problems. All examples
can be seen as mere experiments and it is highly interesting that none of them were
succesful in the sense that their theories and methods were adapted by direct followers. The
most probable reason for this isolation must be that the hanging model method is rather
painstaking in several aspects (4).
Wilhelm Tappe and a new housing concept for the rural population
(5)
The first application of the hanging model use to be discussed here is a rather revolutionary
attempt, in some aspects naive, to change architecture by building houses as vaulted
spaces. Wilhelm Tappe (approx. 1746-1823) was a person with a strong self esteem, a
drawing expert and a building official of the Lippe County. As a scientist, he was probably a
self-educated author, gathering ample knowledge by reading German and French building
literature (6). His writing style shows an honest and straightforward attitude towards the
theme and all kinds of social, cultural and political aspects are discussed by him, in order to
boost his ideas (7). The sources of our knowledge about him are a book “Darstellung einer
neuen äußerst wenig Holz erfordernden und höchsfeuersichern Bauart”, edited in eight
separate volumes 1818-1823, and an experimental building. Translated the title means:
“Description of a new fire-proof building type, avoiding the use of wood”. Tappe’s intellectual
isolation with these studies can be seen from the fact that he had paid the edition of the
1
publications himself, the illustrations being printed in lithography, instead of the improved
technology of engravings (8). The experimental house, like Fig. 16 in Tappe Volume 1, was
built in 1818 for Fürstin-Regentin von der Lippe. Another case was a mill built in his manner.
In his publication Tappe points out that the building turned out to be relatively cheap and the
user was satisfied, stating this with favorable letters.
The main goal of Tappe with his new architecture seems to be political. Around 1820,
Germany was in poverty, only recovering slowly from war and yet not fully participating in the
industrial revolution, like France, England and Belgium. The rural population needed cheap
housing urgently. Tappe hoped to help resolve this problem by his new house type (9).
The basic shape of Tappe‘s new house type was a high cupola on a circular plan. These
houses had an interior span of 15-30 foot (approx. 4.5 – 9 m), the bigger being subdivided by
walls. Next to this he offered a big variety of buildings with barrel vaults of a similar shape
and monumental arches. In those days the perfect statical shape of an arch was determined
on the basis of experiments. The raised arch types, like high proportioned ellipses, parabola,
pointed arch and, of course, catenary, turned out to result in less thrust forces than for
instance the half-circular arch. The section of Tappe‘s house type was either a pointed arch
of the gothic type or elliptical. In relation to Gaudí’s designs it is important to know that Tappe
– like a range of international authors in his times – was uncertain about the right shape and
that he preferred the ojival or elliptical shape over the catenary. As a reason for this choice
instead of the catenary, he wrote that measurement and reproduction of that shape was
rather difficult for poorly trained builders, like the rural users themselves (10). This is an
important issue which turns out to be one of the main design problems of this kind of vaulted
architecture and which Gaudí resolved in various ways. Tappe on the other hand, like many
others, rejected the catenary shape for esthetic reasons. The catenary shows an oblique line
to its end, whereas the ellipse and the pointed arch have a vertical tangent in the meeting
point of arch and soil. The catenary shape was deemed to be archaic and primitive in a
cultural sense.
Tappe, understanding that only the catenary could be considered theoretically sound as a
model for an optimized arch, tried to show that by changing the weights of a chain a pointed
arch or an ellipse could also be ”easily“ produced. In his assumption that there was the
potential to influence the catenary shape he made the mistake of not proving it by
experiment. If he would have done the experiment, he would have seen that a chain held by
two distant end points can in no way have a vertical tangent like the ellipse or a pointed arch
(11). From his false assumption, Tappe drew further erroneous conclusions about the shape
and meaning of a catenary.
Why is Tappe important in relation to Gaudí‘s hanging model method? It is important that
anybody involved with this innovative subject, even in our times, acknowledges that it is quite
a difficult theme with a great potential for errors of a theoretical and experimental kind (12).
Tappe demonstrates this in a rather tragic way, but also, unconscious of his half-knowledge,
he finds the beginnings of a new architecture which positively shows what one could call
”proto-Gaudinism“. Comparable characteristics of Tappe‘s and Gaudí‘s work are tall cupolas
and arches, a tendency towards organic form, a structural and architectural design departing
from statical reflections (13)