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Volume in Gaudí
“I have this quality of feeling, of seeing space because I am the son of a coppersmith. The coppersmith is a man who gives a flat surface volume; he sees the space before he begins to work it.”
Antoni Gaudí
It was Gaudí’s father, Francesc Gaudí Serra, who transferred the vision of space and volume to him in his workshop in Riudoms, with the skill of moulding the copper plates and transforming them into vessels.
That is why Gaudí preferred to work with 3-dimensional models rather than plans. Already a renowned architect, he always remembered the importance of creativity and the influence of his father.
Guided tour of Gaudí’s birthplace
The tour includes the boiler workshop, the forge and the family home of the period; an audiovisual presentation; exhibitions of Gaudí’s drawings and a permanent exhibition of plans of some of Antoni Gaudí’s works, created by the Japanese architect Hiroya Tanaka.
Scheduled guided tours during weekends from May to September, no reservation required (see timetable). Outside the scheduled tours, booking is necessary.
Booking: fundacio.gaudi@riudoms.cat
Phone 977 850 350 (9 am to 2 pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays)
The birthplace of the Gaudí family
The Gaudí family house, known in Riudoms as ca la Calderera, or “widow of the coppersmith”, Francesc Gaudí i Salvany, grandfather of the architect, is a modest house. It belonged to his grandparents from the 18th century, then his parents and finally to Gaudí himself.
His grandfather had his workshop on the ground floor where he made copper kettles, cauldrons and pitchers. Antoni Gaudí’s father continued his work in the workshop, transforming copper plates into 3-dimensional objects.
In 2000, Riudoms Town Council acquired the building and commissioned its reform by the architect, Vera Hofbaerova. The building was turned into a museum and opened in 2002.