No. 26: "How Antoni Gaudi modelled the Sagrada Familia and calculated its statics", sketch by DI Andreas Ettmayer Antoni Gaudí, the famous Catalan architect, was known for his unique and innovative style. The Sagrada Família, one of his most famous works, is a basilica in Barcelona known for its impressive design and complex structure. Gaudí designed it using scale models made from various materials such as plaster, wood and metal. These models helped him to visualise and test the shapes and structures. The calculations and analyses were mainly based on physical models and manual calculations, as computer-aided tools were not yet available in Gaudí's time. However, modern engineers have developed additional techniques to continue Gaudí's vision and further optimise the statics of the Sagrada Família. Whether he actually got his inspiration from drying laundry is the subject of numerous - almost philosophical - debates among architecture experts, including Andreas Ettmayer, who even contributed a hand-drawn sketch to these deliberations. Source: Two hundred and fifty things architects should know, Michael Sorkin