The Gottardo de Andreis Metalgraf Española factory building, popularly known as ‘La Llauna’, housed the metal packaging manufacturing and lithography company founded by the Italian Gottardo de Andreis in Badalona at the beginning of the 20th century, which was in operation from 1919 to 1980.
In this building, the architect Joan Amigó i Barriga once again demonstrates the versatility of his architectural style, which in this work moves further away from the modernist style and embraces and interprets the style of the Viennese Secession.
The most outstanding features of the building are the two main façades, the one on Carrer de l'Indústria and the one on Carrer Eduard Maristany. In the first, that of Carrer de l'Indústria, the clear Viennese influences mentioned above can be seen: garlands ending in volutes, the arrangement of the rhythms, and even the use of motifs such as the one repeated at the top of the façade, reminiscent of a musical lyre, are elements that show clear similarities with façades by Otto Wagner.
The most relevant feature of the façade on Carrer Eduard Maristany, next to the railway line, are the mosaics made by Lluís Bru i Salelles, one of the most important mosaicists of Modernisme. These ceramic details represent the coats of arms of Spain, Sampierdarena (Genoese district, the company's place of origin) and Badalona. The remaining mosaic, located at the bottom, is not a coat of arms, but a representation of an erupting volcano.
For the structure, Amigó i Barriga opted for a construction solution of cast-iron pillars supporting lattice girders, also made of iron, to achieve greater flexibility in the floor plan.
The project deals with the rehabilitation of a three-storey factory as a secondary education institute. The nave has three longitudinal bays, all three of the same width. The pillars of the ground and first floors are made of concrete, while those of the second floor are straight cast iron. The ceilings are based on ceramic joists supported on lattice beams. All the intervention is based on the respect of the structural pre-existences; there are subtractions and additions that organise the program and circulations and establish a clear spatial and functional hierarchy between all three floors.
The current "La Llauna" High School takes up part of the block of houses comprised between the streets of Sagunt, Indústria, Providència and Eduard Maristany, built without a unitary plan. It is a four-storey building with a sliding entrance door. For the construction of the ground floor, they were inspired by the outside of the city, and it is for this reason that it was conceived as a free space, with ramps and stairs that are repeated side by side in order to allow the rapid circulation of students. On the first floor there is a hall, a space designed to rest between classes. The removal of slabs from the intermediate floors allows it to have the maximum height dimension.
The most notable elements of the original building are the façades of Indústria and Eduard Maristany Street, with large-scale decorative features of Secessionist influence. These are vegetal garlands finished in volutes, square flower friezes in the first and large mosaic medallions with shields in the second.
It is a factory that belonged to the company founded by the Italian Gottardo de Andreis at the beginning of the 20th century, dedicated to the manufacture of lithographed tin containers. Initially, the factory consisted of two floors. In June 1910, two floors were added on the Indústria Street side, where there are sgrafittos of floral motifs and large scrolls. The other phases of expansion lasted until 1922.
Around 1980, the company suspended payments, and the entire block of houses could pass into the hands of the City Council. However, only a small sector has been acquired and occupied by the Miralles Institute (Pinós project) in 1984.
The building's refurbishment project won the FAD award for interior design and rehabilitation (1986), as well as the Beau 1 Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Biennale.
