The hypostyle chamber, also called the Chamber of the Hundred Columns (even though it has only 96) was designed originally as a marketplace. The roof supports the floor of the public square above it. The columns are hollow in order to provide a channel for rain water to the cistern.
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Like Greek columns, these Doric variations are "slightly oblique and broaden towards the base. However, in Gaudí's work these features are a bit more exaggerated than in the original Doric columns" (Zerbst, 158). |
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To eliminate the sense of crowding, Gaudí occasionally eliminated a column. Josep Maria Jujol, the collaborator on all of the trencadis work, designed large medallions for the empty spaces in the ceiling. |
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The wall surrounding the public square above the hypostyle chamber twists around the plaza and is designed as a continuous bench for seating.The top of the hypostyle hall with the bench/wall of the square and the gargoyle/dog waterspouts |
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