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Clàudia Sanmartí: “There is an expansion of the influence of Domènech i Montaner that we are still not able to see how far it reaches"

Written in 28/02/23 · Reading time: 5 minutes

This year marks the Domènech i Montaner Year; a year of commemoration of the centenary of the architect, historian, humanist, politician, and illustrator's death. As an architect, he was ahead of European architectural trends, implementing an innovative language and committing to an integrative concept of all arts. The legacy of the modernist artist continues to endure over time, becoming part of the architectural ecosystem of Barcelona. Even today, his talent can still be seen in iconic works such as the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Hospital de Sant Pau, or the Casa Lleó i Morera.

The Casa Lleó i Morera has been owned by Núñez i Navarro since 2006. Since then, the plan for refurbishment and architectural recovery has been developed over two years to maintain the original elements and preserve the modernist heritage. Today we speak with Clàudia Sanmartí, an architect, member of the Group of Architects for the Defense and Intervention in Architectural Heritage (AADIPA), co-founder of MATTERS, and curator of the Year in commemoration of the artist. Clàudia has a postgraduate degree in Architectural Restoration and an ongoing Doctoral Thesis, in the Master of Construction Technology, specializing in restoration and rehabilitation.

Claudia Sanmarti

Como experta en restauración y en la obra del artista, empieza hablando del buen estado de conservación de la Casa Lleó i Morera: “A nivel estructural está perfecto, aunque tenga más de cien años. Toda su riqueza ornamental se ha conservado”. Así, la arquitecta pone en valor cómo en la reforma que se llevó a cabo por parte de Núñez i Navarro se pudo recuperar un edificio icónico: “Se comenta que los mosaicos del suelo de esta casa son de los mejor conservados de Barcelona – que no quiere decir que no hubiera mejores antes, pero éstos están perfectamente bien conservados. Es un lujo poder entrar en este espacio y pasearse por sus estancias”. Asimismo, sobre las posibilidades que ofrece el edificio, también destaca: "Es un proyecto increíble, con una flexibilidad de posibles usos a incorporar maravillosa".

Claudia explains to us the focus of her thesis, which is precisely aimed at studying the artist and specifically observes the constructive technique used by the architect to make roofs: the flat brick vault, or Catalan vault. "It's very interesting how this technique, which has medieval origins with examples dating from the 16th century, begins to gain strength in Catalonia during the 19th century", she explains. "My thesis concludes by saying that the artist is one of those who ends up promoting this type of technique throughout the country".

She is also part of the Lluís Domènech i Montaner Foundation, which was created with the idea of bringing together all kinds of entities linked to promoting the figure of the architect and is partly family-run. She explains: "Since the 1960s there has been a revival and by the year 2000, after the Palau de la Música and the Hospital de Sant Pau were declared World Heritage Sites, the idea of creating this Foundation emerged to value the architect and promote his work". The architect shows us how the Foundation has also involved museums, universities, entities from the city of Barcelona and other cities with 'domenequian' heritage to reach a much wider audience.

Following this line, Clàudia talks about the importance of having a group that ensures the creation of synergies and that lays the foundation for the role of the architect: "We face this year with great enthusiasm and a lot of work. The idea is to create synergies with building owners, with study entities and entities related to the life that the architect has had, and that each one contributes their work".

The impact that the artist had and continues to have on our collective imagination goes far beyond his architectural technique. He also had a significant influence as a teacher at the School of Architecture, as well as in cultural life as the president of the Ateneu Barcelonès, with his publications and in the political sphere, as a deputy in Madrid: "I believe there is an expansion of his influence that we are still not able to see how far it reaches", explains Sanmartí. Therefore, one of the goals of both the Foundation and the Commemorative Year is to shed light on other aspects that characterized him: "His best-known part is that of an architect, but the intention is that all the other facets are also recognized", he explains to us.

En enero, se inauguró oficialmente en el Instituto Pere Mata de Reus, en el Año Domènech i Montaner. En los parlamentos, se definió al arquitecto en tres palabras: policéntrico, arquitecto e internacional. Clàudia resalta la importancia de su legado en el ámbito de la docencia. Él se licenció como arquitecto en 1873 y dos años después ya entraba como profesor en la Escuela de Arquitectura, donde después ejerció como director durante veinte años. "Todos sus discípulos y toda la arquitectura beben de sus fuentes", afirma. Así la arquitecta destaca cómo el artista acabó influyendo en toda una generación del país, destacando Antoni Gaudí entre otros grandes nombres.

Lleo House Interior

In addition to having works listed as World Heritage, the artist's architecture stands out for being based on a new concept that integrates all the arts. Clàudia emphasizes the value of his architecture and expresses that it is necessary "to highlight not only his works that are World Heritage, but also houses that possess rationality, a quality of light, and generous spaces that are unknown to the majority, like the Casa Lleó i Morera."Thus, the architect explains to us the artist's sensitivity and his ability to understand architecture and translate it into everyday life: "He dedicated himself to traveling around Europe to learn about the architecture of the time, interpret it, draw from what he considered most important, and adapt it to the climate, materials, and idiosyncrasies of this place". Precisely for this reason, she emphasizes the desire to extend the artist's figure internationally and concludes: "It's about playing this game: what he absorbed from abroad to bring it here and what he can contribute to the outside world."

Since the year 2006, Núñez i Navarro has been the owner of the Casa Lleó i Morera. In line with its heritage rehabilitation area, the Group initiated a significant project that allowed for the modernization of the facilities, while respecting the original style of the building, and achieving a restoration that once again highlighted its commitment to recovering historic buildings in Barcelona. In this Year of Domènech i Montaner, it joins the activities that celebrate the legacy of the great modernist architect.