La Pedrera (Casa Milà)

In 1905, Barcelona was still buzzing in wonder over Antoni Gaudí’s extraordinary re-making of the Casa Battló when Pere Milà, a member of the Spanish parliament, and his wife from Reus (Gaudí’s home town) hired the architect to see if he could create another, even greater wonder for them—an entire luxury apartment complex, this time starting from scratch. He was presented with a large empty lot on a typical Eixample xamfrà (bevelled corner) and given carte blanche, backed by a very large budget.

Gaudí didn't have to be asked twice. He delved deep into the recesses of his imagination and long study of nature, and five years later unveiled something unlike anything anyone had ever seen before—as much a sculpture as a building, an undulating stone façade (supported by an extremely complex steel armature) that looms over its corner on the Passeig de Gràcia like a cliff.