In the city of Barcelona, many famous buildings are designed by the architectural genius Antoni Gaudí, whose highly modernist architectural style has made his works important landmarks in the city. Casa Batlló, as one of Gaudí’s important works, has recently completed renovation. The interior space was designed by the Japanese design master Kengo Kuma, and the new aluminum chain curtains cascade like a waterfall, not only interpreting the ultimate use of light and lines, but also injecting a more avant-garde atmosphere into this ancient building!
The Batllo House, as a world cultural heritage, is definitely an important asset of Spain, so they also invited the renowned architect Kengo Kuma to be in charge of the renovation work. Kengo Kuma used a dazzling 164,000-meter aluminum chain to create layered metal curtains, showcasing a streamlined silhouette. The curtain layers and light are very distinct, making visitors attracted to its natural rhythmic lines when climbing the stairs.
When Gaudí renovated the Batlló House, he paid great attention to the use of colors and natural light in architecture. Kengo Kuma’s shiny curtain pays tribute to this design master who excelled in the use of light. Kengo Kuma’s installation echoes the original design features of the building, yet it is not limited by the house’s colors, materials, and historical dimensions. In the end, he designed this modern and abstract decoration, transforming the space into a 2,000 square meter immersive exhibition venue.
Kengo Kuma shares his design concept, imagining buildings draped in metal curtains, resembling translucent fishing nets. They eliminate the use of materials, only using metal to highlight the brightness, contours, and shadows of the space. Looking at the dazzling curtains in front of us, we seem to forget the existence of the stairs, focusing all our attention on the language of light. The installation of chain links presents a gradient of tones and gloss, with lighter tones near the roof and darker tones near the basement, where the variation of light becomes the soul of the architecture.
The Batlló House was originally built in 1877 and later renovated by Gaudí in 1904. With his extraordinary creativity and excellent spatial structural ability, he transformed the space into a fairy-tale-like building. Now in the hands of Kengo Kuma, the metal curtain he created adds a layer of avant-garde and style to the architecture. When two generations of architectural masters meet, the Batlló House seems to become a medium connecting them, blending the design essence of both into a magnificent cross-era architectural dialogue!
Image source: Casa Batlló, designboom
