Casa Milà is the Gaudí building famous for its rooftop chimneys and undulating façade.
Built in Barcelona between 1906 and 1912, Casa Milà was Antoni Gaudí’s last private residence commission. Its popular nickname, La Pedrera, means “the stone quarry,” referring to the building’s rough, wave-like stone exterior and unconventional appearance.
The façade curves continuously rather than following a rigid flat plane, while wrought-iron balconies add another layer of irregular movement. On the roof, chimneys, ventilation towers and stairway exits form a striking sculptural landscape. The rooftop elements are functional, but Gaudí shaped them as imaginative architectural forms.
Casa Milà is sometimes confused with Casa Batlló, another Gaudí masterpiece on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia. Casa Batlló is celebrated for its dragon-like roof and colorful façade; the distinctive rough, undulating apartment block with its famous rooftop forms is Casa Milà. UNESCO listed it as part of the Works of Antoni Gaudí in 1984.