Gaudí (1852-1926) reminds us all that great architecture, from Barcelona to Surrey, brings joy. His love of the natural world is a particularly notable feature in his projects. He often, included floral or reptilian designs in his metalwork and, on a more philosophical level, spoke of being inspired by the so-called ‘equilibrated architecture’ of a tree, simply standing balanced without the need for internal bracing or external buttressing.With curved roofs that seem to flow like ocean waves and brightly coloured tiles, Gaudí’s buildings almost look and feel alive. The man himself said: “Colour in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic.”

Any visit to Barcelona will allow you to immerse yourself in Gaudí’s work. We’ve already mentioned the Park Güell and the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, but we would also urge you to look at two apartment buildings which show off his equilibrated style – the Casa Batlló (on which Gaudí completed renovation work in 1906) and the Casa Milà (completed in 1912). Again, Gaudí returned to the natural world for inspiration on these projects and, depending on your personal perspective, the sweeping exteriors of both buildings could be said to resemble the soaring mountains or rolling sea surrounding Barcelona.

The Casa Batlló is now open to the public and we’d particularly draw your eye to the roof of the building, which many locals say is shaped like the scaly spine of the dragon killed by St. George. (Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia.)