Pretty unique structurally.

How is it unique structurally? If you are referring to his models, the have nothing to do with the actual structure of the building or the actual loads on a building. They are only representative of a structural idea.

IMO, having seen some of his work first hand, it is not gaudy at all. I can see how one would think that some of his mosaics add a certain almost gaudy flair to his projects, but for the most part, its just 100% organic goodness... makes me want to go back to barcelona.

Gaudi conceived a brilliant way of merging Catalan culture and tradition, glimmerings of Art Nouveau, local craft, and an extension of High Gothic structural ideas into a very personal expression. Inspirational and to be admired as a unique response that truly belonged to its time and place.

I thought his stuff was a liittle cheesy before I went to spain and saw his work first hand. The Sagrada Familia is amazing.

having seen neither first- hand, i 'd be interested to know what people(who have seen them) think of the frequent comparison of Gaudi & Calatrava....

I (like others above) had to reconsider my opinion of Gaudi after visiting his buildings. They truly are amazing. As far as similarities to Calatrava, I would say there are a few but not enough to really analyze and/or create a thesis on the subject. (The metro station in Zurich by Calatrave is a great example of the similarities) In general, I think that they have different agendas that sometimes are explored in similar forms.

anatomical,

what was structurally unique were, first his sources to find new ways of designing structures, merging the old gothic structural elements (which always needed components like flying-buttresses to absorb horizontal forces) with the organic forms (from the structure of a leaf and trunks to the skeletons of the animal realm, from a spider to a dragon to a shell), not copying them but discovering the natural laws that controlled them... thus finding the easiest way to design structures that worked only with pure compressions, exploiting each material's potential to the fullest, and so reducing the costs, he could build taller than the gothic cathedrals -like his unbuilt design for the 1000 ft. skyscraper for NY, the Hotel Attraction- and with thinner structural components, a gothic builder's dream...

and second, and this is what makes his legacy pretty unique, is the method to translate his findings and theories to the real built world, working with those funicular models, turned upside down and using ropes and sand bags to find the exact curvatures of the arches and proportions of the structural elements... the models were the naked idea of the structure, and most of them, changing the proportions of the elements and the correspondant load magnitudes, were what he used in the final built designs...
plus he also worked with new materials, or, better said, used old materials for new uses -like using tiles to create composite structures-...

he then added lots of decorative motifs hidding these structures or sometimes just used the structure itself as an ornament, though that's another story... well, in fact, lots of these presumably decorative elements, had a specific function in construction terms, like provoking calculated paths for the rain water to make the facades clean themselves...

scale model of the Cripta Güell, polyfunicular model with ropes and sand bags, Gaudí drew the sketches of the crypt using an inverted photograph:





he also worked with ruled surfaces, hyperbolic paraboloids and helicoidal forms (no Maya, no CATIA, no Rhino, no whatsoever) like the roof of the school next to La Sagrada Familia.. (you'll find exactly the same roof in a wine cellar designed by Calatrava in the Basque Country)...
School's roof:





Calatava's cellars:





using vaulted arches with tiles had been something very usual in Catalonia since medieval times but the way Gaudí exploited the capacities of these arches is what makes them unique, like the attic in La Pedrera:



and, in the end, I think this is what makes his works unique: EFFICIENCY in a structural way.. even more than the sculptural spectacularity and the funny organic reminiscences in his works, his genius is in how to develop and make each structure to work at its maximum potential.

- sorry, but my english 's good enough to chat in a forum but sucks big deal to defend Gaudí's intricated and structurally peculiar legacy.. and anyway I'm sure you already know his works pretty well .. :-) -

You didn't understand my point. The true caternary arch only works under a certain givin load. Gaudi "calculated" this load by tying weights on a thread. This in no way represents the actual load on a building. Therefore, the built structure is the result of a calculation based on model forces, not building forces. His buildings work as representations of ideas about forces but do not perform as the models would let you to believe. Saying that his model method leads to a building structure free from tension is misleading.

actually, the weights on the end of the strings were scaled down to represent actual weights and loads giving a far greater understanding of forces than by calculating every single load individually or mathematically. Frie Otto worked in similar ways...

is there any similarity between the word gaudy and gaudi? i often wonder that...

No, that's just a coincidence.

non godibella ma gaudibello...no?

ENGLISH PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

What could be structural perfection? under varying loads , temperature ranges, rate of temp change, etc? Margins or factors of safety, etc. At some point, calcs become approximations. Someone has to "guess" at live loads design targets. (such as when the roofing guy climbs up the 'perfect arch' to patch.)

As far as similarities to Calatrava, I would say there are a few but not enough to really analyze and/or create a thesis on the subject.
C v. G?

My impression is of much more detail in Gaudi's objects. But Gaudi is said to have worked with certain (reliable) craftsmen.

Hand-draw a balcony, and the metalworker translates the flow into reality. I think Gaudi must have relied on a highly predictable level of result. In our 2000's version of bureaucracy, I don't see how Calatrava or any other 2000's large-project designer could have craftsmen available.