Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Hexagonal Hydraulic Panot Pavement Tile of Passeig de Gràcia by Antoni Gaudí

2079

High Catalan Modernisme, designed c. 1904–1906, produced continuously thereafter

The hexagonal hydraulic pavement tile designed by Antoni Gaudí, originally created for the vestibule floor of Casa Batlló (1904–1906) and subsequently adopted by the Barcelona municipal government as the standard pavement tile for the Passeig de Gràcia. The tile is hexagonal in form, with a bas-relief surface design comprising a central six-pointed star formed by three interlocking ellipses, surrounded by a field of seaweed fronds, starfish, and nautilus shell fragments. The relief depth is shallow — designed to remain legible and tactile underfoot rather than visually prominent at standing height. The tile surface is matte grey-white hydraulic cement, the relief elements distinguishable by slight tonal variation and shadow depth. Individual tiles interlock across the pavement in a continuous hexagonal tessellation, the star motif aligning across tile boundaries to form a unbroken surface pattern.