The trencadis mosaic on the pinnacles of the Sagrada Familia cathedral

Abstract

The architect Antoni Gaudí developed a unique constructive solution for the pinnacles that crown his last work, the Sagrada Familia. It consisted of fashioning the finishing components from precast pieces of lightly reinforced concrete that was covered with a trencadis mosaic of Murano glass. With this solution, Gaudí invented a singular coating material that responded to the special ambient conditions of a construction at great height, keeping esthetic and decorative aspects in mind. Those who have continued his work up to this day still employ this constructive system to complete the new pinnacles and in the decoration of other parts of the cathedral. The main objective of this study is to explain the conception and the constructive logic of the Sagrada Familia pinnacles, as well as its evolution since the beginning of the 20th century. For that, a review of the way in which Gaudí applied the trencadis coating in his earlier works is presented. Likewise, the reasons that led the architect to select a unique glass imported from Italy for the trencadis on the temple pinnacles are revealed.