Casa de les Punxes

Standing at the intersection of Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer de Rosselló, you’re confronted with a building that looks like it took a wrong turn on its way to the Loire Valley and decided to set up shop in the middle of Barcelona’s rigid grid. This is Casa de les Punxes—the 'House of Spikes.' It is a massive, brick-clad middle finger to architectural conformity, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1905. While Gaudí was busy melting stone into organic hallucinations nearby, Puig i Cadafalch was playing a different game, blending Northern European Gothic with a fierce Catalan identity.

Let’s be honest about what this place is in 2025. It’s no longer the dusty, traditional museum it once was. The Terradas sisters, for whom this fortress was built, are long gone, and their aristocratic inheritance has been repurposed for the age of the digital nomad. Today, it’s managed by Cloudworks, a high-end coworking and event space. This is the reality of modern Barcelona: historical masterpieces being put to work. You’ve got people grinding on MacBooks under ceilings that were meant for bourgeois tea parties. Some might call it a tragedy; others call it a sensible way to keep the lights on in a building that costs a fortune to maintain.

The exterior remains one of the most aggressive and beautiful architectural flexes in the Eixample. The six pointed towers—the 'punxes'—pierce the sky with a medieval authority that demands you stop and look up. The facade is a masterclass in craftsmanship: intricate brickwork, wrought iron balconies that look like they could stop a crossbow bolt, and ceramic panels that tell the story of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia. Look for the mosaic of Saint George slaying the dragon with the inscription 'Saint Patron of Catalonia, give us back our freedom.' It was a ballsy political statement then, and it still resonates in the city today.

Inside, the vibe changes. Because it’s now a coworking hub, the 'is Casa de les Punxes worth it' question depends entirely on how you want to experience it. You can’t just wander through the bedrooms anymore. Access is generally restricted to those renting desks or attending private events. However, the rooftop remains the crown jewel. If you can snag an invite to an event or a rooftop session, do it. Standing among those ceramic-tiled spikes, looking out over the Eixample toward the Sagrada Família, you feel the weight of the city’s history and its relentless drive toward the future. It’s a strange, beautiful juxtaposition—centuries-old craftsmanship serving as the backdrop for a startup pitch.

If you’re an architecture geek, the walk-around is mandatory. You don't need a ticket to appreciate the sheer scale of Puig i Cadafalch’s vision from the sidewalk. It’s one of the best Modernista buildings in Barcelona precisely because it doesn't try to look like a melting cake or a dragon’s spine. It’s sturdy, imposing, and unashamedly grand. It represents a time when the Catalan bourgeoisie had money to burn and a desperate need to show the world they were more sophisticated than the folks in Madrid.

Don't expect a hushed museum atmosphere. Expect the hum of an office, the hiss of an espresso machine, and the occasional clatter of a film crew setting up in the lobby. It’s a living building, for better or worse. It’s not a 'hidden gem'—it’s a massive castle on the busiest street in town—but it is a reminder that in Barcelona, even the places where people go to work are more beautiful than most cities' finest monuments.