No doubt you have seen the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain, the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. It is absolutely stunning, a soaring example of modern Gothic revival architecture. There are no right angles inside or outside the church, and few straight lines in the entire design. Even incomplete, the church welcomes 20 million visitors a year, most of whom just come to look at it from the outside.
Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), construction began in 1882. Gaudi took over a few years into the project when the original architect resigned, and set about a bold, grand vision. He devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and at his death in 1926, the basilica was only 25% complete. Construction has been interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, attacks by anarchists, funding shortages, conservation work, fires and more. New technologies like computer-aided design have sped up the work in recent years. Workers had hoped it would be completed by 2026, but the Covid-19 Pandemic has caused more delays. When asked about the extremely long construction period a century ago, Gaudí, who believed he was working directly for God, said, “My client is not in a hurry.” He wanted to construct a church like no other, saying, “People will come from all over to see what we’ve done.”
Early construction dwarfed the surrounding fields and farmhouses. Gaudí took over the work after some gothic structures had been erected, and markedly changed the look of the basilica from its more traditional roots. After 140 years of work the church is still not finished.
Imagine designing something and setting it in motion, knowing it would not be completed in your lifetime. Think of Gaudí, who began his magnificent work 140 years ago, knowing he would not see it to completion. What might you do to ensure your vision continues? What could you do in your own lifetime that would see your work continue long after you are gone? Often as leaders, we cast vision forward for an organization, or project, or values, that we believe are of great importance. What might we learn from Antoni Gaudí that would help us look further into the future for our life’s impact that we currently dare?
Think big. When Gaudí took over construction of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona didn’t exist. As the first spires began to rise after a decade of work on the foundations and crypt, they were alone in a field surrounded by dirt roads and grazing cows. Gaudí, though, believed it would become the center for the new city, which it did. Gaudí had taken over the project from an initial architect who resigned a few years into construction. He continued the work in a more conservative style that was expected by patrons of the time, but he already had his massive plan at work in his mind. Fourteen years later, Gaudí sketched out his plans for the entire building. It was awe-inspiring, and left no doubt the finished church would be of worldwide significance.[1]
Gaudí envisioned a “cathedral for the poor”. When sharing thoughts of building a great church, he emphasized that he wanted to give glory to God in his work, and that it should not be rushed. Gaudí’s plans for the church did not specify the height of the building, the seating capacity, budget, or a completion date. His thoughts were short, inspirational, and made people want to be a part of something meaningful.
Think unique. Gaudí was inspired by geometries he observed in nature. Elements of the church remind visitors of mountains, plans, ocean waves and forests. The colorful glass of the windows was also unique at their inception, and bathe the interior in bright, brilliant hues. Sagrada Familia is not the only building Gaudí designed in Barcelona. He also designed houses, buildings and parks in the city and his beautiful, colorful, and intricate designs have shaped the “look” of Barcelona now for more than 100 years. He would often find inspiration in nature and add elements from a certain tree, flower or leaf into his designs.[2]
A Barcelona tourism website explains, “If you look at the Façade of Casa Batlló for instance you will see that the balconies look like skulls and the supports on the windows look like bones. The multicolored tiles that are used to decorate the walls of Casa Batlló were taken from the colors of natural corals. Gaudí adorned many of his buildings with colored tiles arranged in mosaic patterns. This adds another important dimension to his buildings which is so often overlooked by architects—the use of color.”[3]
The architect’s vision came from nature. A tree, a leaf, a flower—all became inspiration for one of the most unique buildings in all of the world.
Get others thinking. Gaudí expressed his vision by making plaster models of the church and hundreds of detailed drawings. His instructions were collected by his successors and formed reference texts that have been available to generations of architects. The current workers still use these sources daily to keep their overall direction in line with Gaudí’s vision. The design Gaudí drew at the end of the nineteenth century wasn’t even attainable by the construction methods and materials of the time. Only now can his vision be fully realized by more modern techniques.
The current architect for Sagrada Familia is Spaniard Jordi Faulí. His task is to complete the central nave and six massive towers, including the tallest spire, which will be 564 feet tall. He comments, “Gaudí not only designed the church in little drawings, he also left important parts in the models. Interestingly, these models demonstrated the detailed methods to design the elements that he otherwise had only defined in the drawings. While studying these models, we have discovered not only the exact form of a particular element, but also the grammar Gaudí had used to design the entire project. He envisioned us to use the same grammar in completing the rest of the church.”[4]
The city of Barcelona has grown up around the church. When the final spire is completed it will be the tallest object in the city—including a nearby mountain.
Gaudí’s original designs have been further developed, with tensioned steel cables to address wind resistance, a factor not considered a century ago. And the intricate carved stone pieces, once hand-cut over months, are now milled by computerized CNC machines offsite, then brought in and lifted into place.
On the way to the church in 1926, Gaudí was hit by a city tram. He had a disheaveled appearance and was mistaken for a homeless man and given poor medical treatment. Not long after he died of his injuries. His disciple Domènec Sugranyes became the third in a long line of architects in charge of the project. The Pandemic halted the project as it is entirely funded by alms—money collected through selling admission to the unfinished church, which amounts to about $80 million a year. It’s estimated Gaudí’s vision, when completed, will have cost $500 million. Gaudí himself could not have known when casting his vision 140 years ago that his beautiful designs would inspire and shape a city through architecture.
[1] https://artikabooks.com/en/news/gaudis-vision-140-years-after-first-stone
[2] https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-antoni-gaudi-define-barcelonas-architecture
[3] https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/barcelona-gaudi.html
[4] https://www.stirworld.com/inspire-people-the-sagrada-familia-a-tale-of-two-creators-jordi-fauli-shares-antoni-gaudi-s-vision
Howard D. Schultz is an American businessman and author. He served as Chairman and CEO of Starbucks from 1986 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2017, and in 2022-2023. He was named one of the World’s Richest People by Forbes with a net worth in 2020 of $4.3 billion.