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History and description:

The Fàbrica (Factory) Casaramona is a project of the architect Puig i Cadafalch commissioned by Casimir Casaramona i Puigcercós, owner of textile businesses to build a new factory at the foot of Montjuich (a hill at south east of Barcelona, at present park and Olympic area), to substitute the old one destroyed in a fire.
The factory was finished in 1911 following the Moderniste style (Art Nouveau) and the Municipality awarded the building as the better of the year in 1912.
The building was designed, as it is common in industrial premises, to simplify horizontal movement, and this horizontality is only broken by two towers.
This two towers were big water reservoirs to protect the factory against fire - the owner was very much affected by the fire of his previous factory - and was obviously very interested to protect that second factory with the better technology against fire at that time.
The factory was completely built in brick following the Catalan tradition. 
The ornamentation is very limited, only some ceramic on the towers and a mosaic and two stone adorns over Lleida street tower door, but the brick shapes of the factory, specially the roofs and the succinct iron forged functional structures attain, as a result, an original embellishment.
Opened in 1913, the same year of the dead of its owner Casimir Casaramona, the factory was closed in 1920. Later it was used as Police barracks and in 1976 it was declared Historic National Monument. This is possibly one of the most magnificent ensembles of Catalan Industrial Art Nouveau.
In 1963 "La Caixa" (first savings Bank of Catalonia) bought the factory to build a big cultural complex with large Exhibition halls, Arts Laboratory and Home of his Contemporary Art Collections.
At present the building is completely reformed and adapted, but respecting its traditional appearance. In front of main entrance it is a big metal and crystal structure by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki.

Images:

		Different views of Fàbrica Casaramona

Other works of Puig i Cadafalch:

In Barcelona: Amatller House  Company House  Macaya House  Martí House (Els 4 gats)  Muley-Afid House  Muntades House  Punxes House  Sastre Marquès House  Casaramona Factory  Serra House  Baró de Quadras Palace  Pastor de Cruïlles Villa 
In Argentona:  Garí House  Puig i Cadafalch House
In Canet de Mar: Restaurant del Santuari  Fàbrica Carbonell Reverter  Font Pública, Passeig Mare de Deu de la Misericòrdia / C. J. Mora  Font Pública, Plaça Barris  Font Pública del Parc del Santuari  Primer Misteri de Dolor del Rosari Monumental del Santuari de la Misericòrdia  Cinquè Misteri de Dolor del Rosari Monumental del Santuari de la Misericòrdia  Placa del carrer Carles Pasqual i Puig
In La Garriga:  Furriols House
In Lloret:  Boundary cross  Verge de Gracia shrine  Pantheon Costa (Cemetery) 
In Mataró:  City Hall  Coll I Regàs House  Parera House  Sisternes House  El Rengle  La Beneficiència  
In Sant Sadurní d'Anoia:  Caves Codorniu

 

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