Did Gaudí really design a chalet in inland Catalonia? The answer is yes, but it is less obvious than one might think. To confirm this required a scientific study led by Galdric Santana Roma, director of the Gaudí Chair at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), who overlaid archival documents and metric surveys, demonstrating structural and compositional evidence consistent with Gaudí's design method.
A new Antoni Gaudí’s building: this chalet has been officially attributed after 100 years
A chalet built to house engineers at a coal mine in Catalonia has finally been attributed to Antoni Gaudí. The architect had never claimed authorship.
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- Nicola Aprile
- 23 February 2026
The confirmation comes at a symbolic time: this year marks the centenary of Gaudí's death, celebrated with a wide-ranging program of events aimed at highlighting even his lesser-known projects and strengthening scientific methods for architectural attributions.
The Xalet del Catllaràs was conceived between 1901 and 1908 to house the technicians and engineers of the Serra del Catllaràs coal mines, which supplied the Asland cement factory, founded by Eusebi Güell in the early twentieth century. The building, about four hundred square meters in size, has a rectangular floor plan and is on three levels: it originally included six interior housing units, two on each floor, connected by an exterior spiral staircase on the main facade, a distinctive element of the project.
More recent analyses have found elements in the design consistent with the Catalan architect's method, but also that the construction was outsourced and underwent later modifications, probably with the involvement of his collaborator Juli Batllevell. These interventions over time have contributed to ambiguity about the authorship of the work.
Now Catalonia's Department of Culture has officially confirmed that Antoni Gaudí is the author of the Xalet del Catllaràs, clarifying an attributional issue that has remained open for decades.
The attribution to the architect of the Sagrada Família had also been supported by the historical and constructive study conducted by ROA Arquitectura, led by Roger Orriols, as part of a restoration completed in 2001.
Opening image: Wikimedia Commons