PARK GÜELLAntoni Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain 1900-1914
MIDWAY GARDENSFrank Lloyd Wright, Chicago, IL 1913Andrea Camargo & Rosinerva Herrera // Arch 382 - History of Arch IV // Building Analysis
Sources: Kruty, Paul. “Frank Lloyd Wright and Midway Gardens.” Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1998. Artigas, Isabel. “Antoni Gaudi: Complete Works.” China: Taschen GmbH, 2007. Kliczkowski, H. “Complete Works Gaudi.” Barcelona: Paco Asensio, 2003.
“What was meant to be a residential paradise in the middle of the city eventuallly became an urban park enjoyed by all of Barcelona.”
“ ...this magical ‘city by the sea’ had walls and towers that girdled its ‘garden brights,’ where patrons couldchoose among a variety of delights- indoor or outdoor dining, serious or casual listening, private club or publictavern.”
Sagrada FamiliaCasa Battlo
Unity TempleLarkin Building
Wright Characteristics: •inward orientation •interconnected spaces •symmetrical commercial buildings •mysterious entrance sequence •organization around major and minor axis •central axis not expressed on the main facade •corner entrances obscured bilateral symmetry •series of horizontal planes and opposing vertical
projections •horizontal eaves and balconies
define the space around and below them
Materials: •brick •concrete blocksFunction: •music pavilion + stage •terraced summer gardens •an indoor lobby •cigar concession stands •two sunken gardnes + pools •cantilevered balconies
•dance floors •courtyards •two belvederes •arcades •promenades •club + tavern
Materials: •Catalan mosaic work (trencadis) •stone •ceramic tiles •brick Function:
•orginally designed to be a residential complex •public park •Gaudi’s father repurposed into Casa Museu Gaudi •functional benches serve as railings and viewing plataform •pavilions functions as service center and concierge’s res-dence.
Layout: “The layout of the park implies an allegorial journey as visitors ascend from the funfair atmosphere at the lowest level tothe Calvary at the top”
Gaudi Characteristics:•sweeping organic forms
dervied from nature•characteristic cross
•ornamental •fantastical •biomorphic•catenary arches formed by natural gravity•tree-like columns
Comparative Analysis
Both Sites are located within an urban city. Parc GÜell is situated in an area known as Muntanya Pelada (Bald Mountain), in the Salut neighbourhood in the district of Gracia. Midway Gardens was built
in a 600’ by 600’popular entertainment district near the Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Parc GÜell and Midway Gardens were influced by nature. Gaudi
expressed it through the organic and biomorphicforms, like the sinuous paths. In addition, he integrated the urban park
intothe landscape by altering the surroundings as little as possible.
Wright, on the other hand, expressed nature by making it the cener point of the inward facing scheme.
The open spaces shared the use of ornamentation. Gaudi decorated
with the use of colorful sculptures, various “trencadis” figures and a variety of other
symbolic elements. For decoration, Wright used anar-rangement of squares,
triangles, and circles into a pattern. He also used sculptures that “shared the general
geometric gaiety” to compliment the building as whole.
covered passages
corner of winter garden
Greek Theatre
column room
entrance stairs
mus
ic pavilio
n
winter garden
terrace facade
cigar concession stand
sunken gardenentrance pavilions
Casa
Mus
eu Gaudi