Sagrada Familia, le défi de Gaudi

The imposing basilica of the Sagrada Família, a major work by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), begun in 1882 and never completed, overlooks the city of Barcelona and has become one of its symbols. Its verticality, its organic and curved forms and the brightly colored mosaics that adorn the tops of its towers make it unique. In addition to its aesthetics, this expiatory temple is the product of technical innovations such as the chain arches designed to absorb the load of the immense building without buttresses or the inclined, tree-like columns that follow the trajectory of the building's forces. This complex geometry makes the task of the engineer's heirs all the more difficult as they only have a few original plans and models.