Casa Planells
A singular building designed by one of Gaudí’s disciples
With its singular facade, it is one of the few works undertaken by the architect Josep Maria Jujol, one of Gaudí’s collaborators, in Barcelona. It is a building that stands out due to the curves of its exterior and because on an 80 m² plot Jujol managed to design 120 m² apartments.
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Why visit Casa Planells?
Casa Planells is a building designed by the architect Josep Maria Jujol in 1924 for the contractor Evelí Planells and is, even though it forms part of the Modernisme current and is considered to be the last Modernista building designed in Barcelona, a construction that to some degree defies classification.
It stands out because despite a small plot of 80 m², the architect managed to build apartments of 120 m² by using two floors, simple materials and curved forms. It is the most outstanding work in Barcelona, along with the central fountain in Plaça d’Espanya, by Jujol, who was municipal architect of the nearby town of Sant Joan Despí, where he built the Torre de la Creu. Notwithstanding, Josep Maria Jujol left his mark on the city through the works of his admired mentor Gaudí, with whom he collaborated on the design of the colour of Casa Batlló, the wrought iron balconies of La Pedrera and the ceramic tile overlay of the famous wavy bench in Park Güell.
In addition to his collaboration with Gaudí, his work with Pere Mañach, a patron of young artists whom he met through Gaudí and who in 1916 commissioned him to build a workshop, the Tallers Mañach, in the Gràcia district, should also be highlighted. The workshop had an original natural lighting system on the ceilings that prevented sunlight from shining directly onto the work area. It was built in brick with a vault held in place by a system of crosspieces and pinnacles. The workshop is now a school and still preserves details of Jujol’s construction.
How do you get to Casa Planells?
Casa Planells is located at Avinguda Diagonal, 332, on the chamfer with Carrer de Sicília. If you hop off at the Sagrada Família stop on the Blue Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic, just follow Carrer de Mallorca and turn onto Carrer de Sicília.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? Josep Maria Jujol was from Tarragona and it is in this city where you can see his main work, the Teatre Metropol.
- Local’s tip: Less than 10 minutes from Casa Planells, at Carrer de Bailèn, 113, you can find another Modernista construction, Casa Llopis Bofill, which features Jujol’s impressive sgraffito work on the facade.
- A must: To discover late Modernisme.
