City Icons: Amsterdam - Final Call!

An Elementalist and Mediterranean Architecture

MORE MIES - Pure Architecture in Haus Lange Haus Esters

Through a Bauhaus Lens: Edith Tudor-Hart and Isokon

Modernism Week Lecture: 10 Years of Iconic Houses

Aluminaire House Grand Opening

Exhibition Icons of the Czech Avant-Garde

Icon for Sale - Loos Villa: Haus Horner

SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams Europe - Sleep in an Iconic House!

SPECIAL – German Greats!

SPECIAL - Vacances en France!

SPECIAL - Casas Icónicas en España!

SPECIAL – Dutch Delights!

SPECIAL – Iconic Artist Residencies

SPECIAL – Northern (High)Lights!

SPECIAL – Iconic Housing

SPECIAL – Women & Iconic Houses

Winy Wants a World Wonder

Welcome Atelier Volten!

Public Screenings and Private Streaming of Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House

Sleep in a Modernist Gem – Huis Billiet in Bruges

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - 100 Years Van Zessen House

Exclusive Tour and Film Screening Package

The Last House Designed by Adolf Loos Will Be Built in Prague

Icons of the Czech Avantgarde

Icon for Sale - Casa Legorreta

Rietveld Day: 200 Enthusiasts Explored 3 Utrecht Icons

Hurray! 10 Years Iconic Houses

7th International Iconic Houses Conference A Huge Success

Meet Conference Co-Chair Iveta Černá

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Eighteen Iconic Houses Under One Roof

17 June - 'Pioneers-film' Screening Amersfoort

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Eesteren House Museum

Welcome Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Zentrum in Vienna!

Welcome Vila Volman! Jewel of Czech Functionalism

Movie Night: Adolf Loos- Revolutionary Among Architects

'Inside Iconic Houses' Case Study House #26 Webcast in Webshop

Inside Iconic Houses at Taut’s Home in Berlin

Rediscovering Forgotten Loos Interiors in Pilsen

'Inside Iconic Houses' - Online Tour Program

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - The Diagoon House

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld Houses Owners Association

Corberó Space: New Life for Hidden Jewel

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Pierre Cuypers' House and Workshops

Reeuwijk Celebrates Completion of Restoration Rietveld Homes!

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Doesburg Rinsema House

Welcome Rietveld's Van Daalen House!

Architect Harry Gessner Passed Away at 97

Watch Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House Now On Demand

Icon Saved: Dorchester Drive House

Welcome Umbrella House!

Iconic Houses in the Netherlands – Berlage’s Masterpiece

Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Het Schip

Inside Iconic Houses - Tour of Maison Cazenave

Inside Iconic Houses Tours Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami

Casa Masó Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Inside Iconic Houses tours Roland Reisley's Usonian Frank Lloyd Wright House

Rietveld’s Experimental Housing in Reeuwijk Saved

Serralves Villa after restoration

Portraits of the Architect - Interview with Gennaro Postiglione

Test Labs for New Ideas - Interview with Natascha Drabbe

Inside Iconic Houses - Isokon Building

Inside Iconic Houses - 16 December: Sunnylands with Janice Lyle

BCN-BXL Coderch-De Koninck - Beyond Time

New Chairman Architect Nanne de Ru on The Perfect Platform

Health and Home - Interview with Beatriz Colomina

A Life Less Ordinary – Interview with Valentijn Carbo

Invisible Women - Interview with Alice T. Friedman

Winy Maas on the Green Dip

Anita Blom on Experimental Housing of the 1970s

Women’s Worlds - Interview with Natalie Dubois

The Culture of Living - Interview with Robert von der Nahmer

Hetty Berens: A Fresh Take on Modernism

Niek Smit on Supporting Modern Heritage

Alice Roegholt on Amsterdam’s Working-Class Palaces

July is Iconic Houses Month

Hans van Heeswijk on The Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House

Wessel de Jonge on Dutch Icons at Risk

Save Maison Zilveli - Sign the Petition!

How a Building Tells a Story - Recorded Event

Toolkit for Owners of a Modern House

13 Aalto Sites Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage

Villa Beer At Risk - Sign the Petition!

Business Cards of Stone, Timber and Concrete in the Brussels Region 1830-1970

Exhibiting & Visiting Modernist Monuments

Fostering Well-Researched Responsible Design

ICONS AT RISK

Enjoy a virtual visit to the California House and a Q&A with architect Peter Gluck

Exhibition 'Modernism and Refuge'

A Hidden Gem of Postmodernism

New Centre for Historic Houses of India

An Online Chronicle of the Douglas House

Villa Henny, geometric style icon in The Netherlands

A Mendini temple in Amsterdam

IH-lectures USA & Canada Feb 2020 on Melnikov House

Sponsors and Friends

An Afternoon with the Glucks

Chandler McCoy on Making Modern Houses Sustainable

Catherine Croft: Getting Away from the Demolition Mentality in the UK

Patrick Weber on Discovering an Unknown Icon

Fiona Fisher on Iconic Interiors

Jocelyn Bouraly on Villa Cavrois

Mireia Massagué on finding success through a new kind of partnership

Danish Moderns – Looking Back at Our Mini-Seminar

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Lecture report: Remembering Richard Neutra

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BREAKING NEWS: 8 Wright Sites Inscribed on Unesco World Heritage List!

LECTURE 29 August - Raymond Neutra: My Father and Frank Lloyd Wright

Iconic Reads

Our Badge of Honour

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Kohlberg House Restoration in Progress

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An Iconic Saga

Restoring Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 and Clarifying the Controversies

Modernism on the East Coast

Iconic Houses in Latin America

Conference testimonials

House Tours May 2018 

Expert Meetings

Natascha Drabbe - Iconic Houses: The Next Chapter

Terence Riley -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Philip Johnson

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Hilary Lewis on Philip Johnson and his Glass House

John Arbuckle on Great House Tours

William D. Earls on the Harvard Five in New Canaan

Stover Jenkins on Working for Philip Johnson

Frederick Noyes on his Father’s House

Scott Fellows and Craig Bassam on their Passion for Preservation

Jorge Liernur -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Latin American Modernism(s)

Fabio Grementieri on Modernism in Argentina

Catalina Corcuera Cabezut on Casa Luis Barragán

Renato Anelli on Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro

Tim McClimon on Corporate Preservation

Amanda Nelson on Building Donor Relationships

John Bacon on Planned Giving

Jean-Paul Warmoes on the Art of Fundraising in America

Chandler McCoy on Why Less is More

Katherine Malone-France on Moving with the Times

Anne Mette Rahbæk on Philanthropic Investments and Preservation

Peter McMahon on Saving Modern Houses on Cape Cod

Toshiko Kinoshita on Japanese Modern Heritage Houses

Roland Reisley on Life in a Frank Lloyd Wright House

5th Iconic Houses Conference May 2018

Kristin Stone, Pasadena Tour Company

Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio

Behind the Scenes: Hendrick de Keyser Association

Crosby Doe, Architecture for Sale

Latin America Special – Focus on Mexico

De Stijl in Drachten

Preserving the Nancarrow House-Studio

Meet the Friends - Nanne de Ru

Latin America Special – Focus on Brazil

Jan de Jong’s House is Latest Hendrick de Keyser Acquisition

Stay in a Belgian Modernist Masterpiece

In Berlin’s Modernist Network

Rietveld-Schröder House Celebrates De Stijl Anniversary

Meet Our New Foundation Board Members

Maintaining Aalto's Studio – Linoleum Conservation

Virtual Tour of a Papaverhof Home in 3D

Getty Grant for Villa E-1027

Plečnik House in Ljubljana

Iconic Dacha

Iconic Houses: A Bohemian Road Trip

Work in Progress: Capricho de Gaudí

11 Le Corbusier Homes now on Unesco World Heritage List

At home with Le Corbusier

Henry van de Velde’s Study in Haus Hohe Pappeln Restored

Lynda Waggoner reports

A Conference to Remember

4th International Iconic Houses Conference

Guest of Honor - Harry Gesner

Fallingwater: European Lecture Tour

Wright Plus 2016 Walk

Susan Macdonald, Getty Conservation Institute

John Mcllwee, Garcia House

Meet the Friends – Elisabeth Tostrup

Iconic Houses: The Story So Far

Willie van Burgsteden, designer Iconic Houses

Buff Kavelman, Philanthropic Advisor

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Sheridan Burke, GML Heritage

Meet the Friends - Raymond Neutra

Sidney Williams, Frey House

Franklin Vagnone and Deborah Ryan, Museum Anarchists

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Toshiko Mori, architect

Malachi Connolly, Cape Cod Modern House Trust

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Speaking Volumes: Building the Iconic Houses Library

Sarah Lorenzen, Neutra VDL Studio and Residences

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Keeping It Modern - Getty Conservation Grants

Meet the Friends - Thomas Schönauer

Wim de Wit, Stanford University

Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy

Jesse Lattig, Pasadena Heritage

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Marta Lacambra, Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera

Natascha Drabbe, Iconic Houses Foundation

Special speaker Oscar Tusquets

Jordi Tresserras, UNESCO Network ‘Culture, tourism and development’

Christen Obel, Utzon Foundation

Elena Ruiz Sastre, Casa Broner

Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich, La Ricarda

Tim Benton, Professor of Art History (Emeritus)

Susana Landrove, Docomomo Spain

Rossend Casanova, Casa Bloc

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Jordi Falgàs, Casa Rafael Masó

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Marga Viza, Casa Míla/La Pedrera

Celeste Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

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Henry Urbach, The Glass House

Victoria & Albert Museum London November 12

Tommi Lindh, new director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and Museum

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Triennale der Moderne 27 September - 13 October 2013

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Annual Wright Architectural Housewalk: 18 May

Frank Lloyd Wright Homes on Screen

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Neutra’s House on Screen

Michel Richard, Fondation Le Corbusier

Symposium The Public and the Modern House

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Round Table Review

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Philippe Bélaval, Centre des monuments nationaux

25 August 2016

Work in Progress: Capricho de Gaudí

The Capricho (1883-1885) represents the starting point for Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926). This early work is full of passion and originality and includes all the ingredients for which Gaudí is world-famous. One of the few buildings designed by Gaudí outside Catalonia, the Capricho is in the Modernist town of Comillas on the Northern Spanish coastline. Throughout the Capricho’s interior, exterior and gardens, are colourful and creative design elements inspired by nature and full of symbolism. Many of the materials, styles and concepts developed here were later used at Barcelona’s Park Güell, La Pedrera, Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Família.


Carlos Mirapeix, Managing Director of the Capricho de Gaudí, gives us a look behind the scenes.

Who is the owner of the Capricho de Gaudí?
The Capricho is privately owned by a company called El Capricho de Gaudí S.A. in Comillas. All activity is financed directly by visitor admission fees. The Capricho doesn’t receive any public assistance or financial aid.

Tell us about the major changes to the structure since it was completed
The Capricho closely resembles what Gaudí designed in 1883 but as with any building of its age – it has witnessed changes. The most aggressive was the first renovation in 1914 when the original conservatory and the Arabic tiles were removed. The second renovation in 1988 saw the re-introduction of the conservatory and the tiles also. But some smaller mistakes were made that we are trying to rectify today.

What is your role? Who are the other key members of the team?
Together with the Head of Maintenance, Jesús Pérez, I am responsible for the conservation of the building on a day to day basis. The owner and CEO, Taketo Kurosawa, is also actively involved and we have a network of collaborators and external assessors that assist with sensitive or specialised aspects of the conservation.

What is the biggest conservation challenge for the Capricho?
Our biggest challenge is the damp. Designed by a Mediterranean architect but located in a more Northerly climate, humidity has always been the building’s main enemy. The deterioration of the exterior ceramics, due to the wind and proximity to the sea, is another constant source of concern.

Have you or are you developing a conservation management plan?

Our Annual Plan covers everything from visitor experience to conservation. We schedule most projects from November to January but there are often emergencies that aren’t captured in any document.

What are your restoration objectives?
In the short term, we want to restore the lower ground floor where the kitchens and servants’ quarters were located. And we’d like to reinstate the hydraulic tile flooring as it was originally. Both of those projects will really contribute to the overall visitor experience. In the long term, replacing the conservatory and preserving the tower are our priorities.

How well documented is the Capricho? Can you refer to old photos and sketches?
Unfortunately, the original drawings and plans were burned in a fire in Gaudí’s studio inside the Sagrada Família, so our conservation work is based on the few old photos we have and what we can decipher from the building itself.

Is funding available from state, regional or EU sources for any elements of the building’s conservation?
We describe ourselves as independent and sustainable because the work we carry out is financed by visitors’ fees. Thankfully the building is currently in a very good state of repair. We’d never rule out asking for assistance if the architectural integrity of the building were to become compromised.

The Capricho is open to the public practically every day of the year – when can you carry out conservation work?
We close the building for a week every Winter – it’s absolutely frenetic because there’s so much we need to get done!

Has your vision for the museum changed or evolved since it opened its doors to the public in 2010?
Everything has changed. When we opened, the financial picture was bleak and our focus was very much on saving the building. Soon enough, we realised we had to focus on the visitor experience. Today, our aim is to provide the highest of standards in every aspect of the Capricho.

What are current visitor numbers? Do you foresee any growth?
In our first year we had 100,000 visitors. Numbers have continued to grow and today we receive 130,000 visitors. Rather than driving more demand, our objective is to maintain those numbers and continue to improve the visitor experience.

What is it like to work in a space designed by Gaudí?
Everything we do takes place inside the Capricho – our offices are here, our staff eat here, and we even meet our suppliers in a room designed by Gaudí. You can’t but feel a really special connection with the building. And it’s amazing that five years after opening, we are still making fresh discoveries about the house.

What about the design of El Capricho de Gaudí is of most value to you?
In addition to the recognisable Gaudí style, which we love, we really appreciate how advanced the design was for its time. As you get to know the Capricho better and better, that’s what really impresses!

What tips or advice would you pass on to somebody embarking on something similar?
Managing a space such as this is both inspiring and exhausting! Every day is different. We’ve learned that being self-financing, flexible with the running of the place and agile with decision-making is the best way forward. In fact, the term ‘eternal beta version’ probably sums up life at the Capricho perfectly.

Publication date 25 August 2016