The rear façade of Casa Batlló recovers the original striking black color.

BarcelonaAntoni Gaudí took care of every detail of his buildings, and was innovative even in the less showy parts. After months of work, those responsible for Casa Batlló have restored the unusual black color of the rear façade, which in the 1930s was covered by a cream-colored paint that had become etched in the collective memory. "We have recovered an image of the façade, which, if not from 1906, is the closest," says Xavier Villanueva, the architect who has led the restoration of Casa Batlló for more than twenty years. "This is the first time that the façade has been fully restored, as stipulated in the master plan we drew up about ten years ago. We have done it with scientific criteria and thanks to an extensive, truly extensive, documentary database," says the architect. The snail shell and the white lead color of the balcony railings have also been restored.

Before this restoration, some minor interventions had been carried out in the 1950s and 1990s to make repairs or prevent further damage, and these have now been removed to return the building to its original condition. "The state of conservation of the façade was very fair," Villanueva notes. The work, which involved around forty technicians and artisans, included the restoration of the courtyard: missing elements have been reproduced, such as the planters located next to the ventilation courtyards and a parabolic heather pergola, originally located in the center of the courtyard. The paving, made up of 85,000 Nolla mosaic pieces, has also been faithfully replicated, respecting the original techniques. In addition, the iron railings and gates, and the courtyard wall, including the stucco and brittle glass and ceramic, have been restored. "We planted the jasmines that, thanks to the photographs, we were able to find out were there," explains the architect. "We have to think that when you're on the main floor and you step out onto the back terrace, you're stepping into a garden. And when you turn around, you're faced with the vertical garden formed by the braided garlands of the brambles at the top."

These works, which cost 3.5 million euros, complete the largest restoration of the building. Various spaces in the house remain to be renovated, and the restoration of the upper terrace continues. "It's a job non-stop", says Villanueva. Regarding the dialogue with the main façade, he believes that the rear one engages in a dialogue through "colors and the reinterpretation or incorporation of nature into the architecture." "The flower theme may not appear as much on the main façade, but the element of water and the theme of movement create an extraordinary dialogue,