Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia

Built in 1904, the Law Courts were intended to bring together the different courts in the city and the Real Audiencia in a new imposing building. It was the first major commission for the newly qualified architect, who designed it together with Josep Domènech i Estapà.

The building – which is structured into two symmetrical blocks where the courts are located with the entryway featuring large spaces in the middle – provided an innovative solution at the time by leaving the iron in the roof of the imposing staircase and in the great hall on the first floor exposed.

The sculptures decorating the façades were done by the best Catalan sculptors of the time such as the Vallmitjana brothers, Manuel Fuxà, Josep Llimona and Miquel Blay.

Built between 1896 and 1902 and located in the port area of Barcelona, the New Customs House replaced the old customs house, which was in an 18th-century building near the Port Vell. In this project, Sagnier collaborated with Pere Garcia Fària, who was a civil engineer. 

It is a simple and imposing building that is reminiscent of Central European buildings. The main block is crowned by two large eagles, which were sculpted by Eusebi Arnau, and at each end, there are four winged lions.

Built in the neo-Gothic style along Via Laietana between 1914 and 1917, the Caja de Pensiones de Barcelona building, the original headquarters of the Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y de Ahorros de Cataluña y Baleares (‘la Caixa’), was one of the most important works in Sagnier’s late period. It was designed with offices on the ground floor and rental apartments on the upper floors to make the investment profitable.

Construction was done using reinforced concrete and exterior stone cladding. The customer service area was richly decorated with paintings and marble, and was laid out around a covered area with a skylight, which no longer exists today. On the corner of the two main façades is a group of sculptures symbolizing Savings by Manuel Fuxà.

Built between 1902 and 1904 as a detached summer home for the Barcelona bourgeoisie of the time, the Casa El Pinar has stood the test of time on the slopes of Tibidabo while looking like a mediaeval castle straight out of a fairytale.

This lovely building takes its name from the pine forest that was left intact when construction on this summer home for the banker Manuel Arnús started. Built using stone from the Montjuïc quarry, it is richly ornamented with sgraffito and tiles. 

Some of the craftsmen who usually worked on Sagnier’s designs did the building’s interiors, such as Carles Torrebadell in ironwork, Antoni Rigalt in stained glass, Pujol & Bausis in ceramics or Joan Pujol in sculptural work.

Built in 1917 in the El Putxet neighbourhood, Enric Sagnier built this home which is characterised by a number of Plateresque style ornaments – common in this type of buildings at the time. Other elements that the architect used from the local Renaissance building tradition were the balcony with ironwork and tile cladding, the alcove with a religious figure and the powerful eaves with numerous supporting brackets. 

This house was the setting for some of the scenes in Woody Allen’s famous film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.