La Pedrera´s Auditorium will receive the sessions of the International Conference in Engineering

La Pedrera´s Auditorium (Casa Milà), one of the most emblematic buildings of Catalan modernism, will receive the sessions of the Second International Conference on Ethics and Human Values in Engineering that will be held in Barcelona (Catalonia / Spain) during 2nd, 3rd and 4th March 2010. The Auditorium, located in the basement of the building, takes up the old parking of the carriages. The electronic murals that will be used during the Conference will be installed at Gaudí Lounge, as well as the catering service.

This odd building, designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí –one of the most important representatives of modernism-, is located in the heart of the city, specifically in the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Provença. The building, that was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984, stands out for its stone façade and the twisted wrought iron that decorates the balconies and windows designed by another genius of modernism, Josep Maria Jujol.

Pedrera was built between 1906 and 1912. Currently, the building hosts the headquarters of the area of social activity of an important savings bank. It, moreover, hosts one of the reference cultural centres of the city. It´s known for its activities and the different museum and public areas that includes.

Some of the most representative areas of the building are open to the public (payment required): the roof with its curious chimneys and ventilation towers made of trencadís; the attic, with its characteristic brick parabolic archs; an exhibition of Gaudí´s work and the last floor, that reproduces the bourgeois way of life of modernist period. Other important areas of free access are the hall with two inner courtyards and the first floor where temporary exhibitions can be visited.

Modernism is known in other countries with different names. In France and Belgium is known as Art Nouveau, in England as Modern Style, in the United States as Tiffany, in Germany is Jugendstil, in Austria is Sezessionstil or Wiener Sezession, and in Italy is known as Style 1900, Style Noville or Stile Liberty.