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The Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) and the Casa Batlló in Barcelona have presented a tactile model of this emblematic building’s façade. With this model, visually impaired people can use touch to familiarise themselves with the architectural characteristics of the building. The model was created by the Model Workshop of UPC’s School of Architecture of the Vallès (ETSAV). It is the result of a collaboration agreement between UPC, the ONCE and the Casa Batlló. The model is a 1:45 scale model of the façade of the Casa Batlló. Its dimensions (33 x 74 x 20 cm) make it easy for blind people to perceive the building rapidly.

Participants at the presentation included UPC’s Rector, Antoni Giró, the regional representative of ONCE in Catalonia, Teresa Palahí, and the chief executive of the Casa Batlló, Nina Maria Bernat.

As part of its aim to be an accessible cultural facility, the Casa Batlló has worked in collaboration with ONCE to bring this architectural piece closer to blind and visually impaired people. Among the initiatives established since 2004 are: changes to the scripts of the audio guides; the creation of Braille information leaflets in different languages; the creation of methacrylate models showing the relief of the main floor and the main façade; free entry to blind visitors’ companions; and training for Casa Batlló staff so that they can accompany blind people around the house.

The model was made with high-density polyurethane. It is painted white and supported on a metal sheet so that it does not move when touched. Although it was designed for blind people, all Casa Batlló visitors can benefit from this model, as the building’s reliefs, textures and shapes can be discovered by touch. These features often go unnoticed when a visitor looks at the many-coloured façade.

The ETSAV Model Workshop was set up in the 1990s, and has extensive experience in reconstructing emblematic architectural pieces. Over the years, it has created models of the works of Antoni Gaudí on different scales and using different materials. These models can be seen in the Pedrera, within the Caixa de Catalunya saving bank’s Espai Gaudí. Other models have been made for the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Miró Foundation and, recently, the City of Architecture and Heritage (CAP) museum in Paris, in which 35 out of the hundred models on display in this new museum were made by the Model Workshop.