Casa Gomis, the architectural gem saved from ruin by Spanish state

Hidden away at the end of a winding road in a vast wetland on the fringes of Barcelona is Casa Gomis.

This imposing house, which nestles among flamingos in the Delta de Llobregat, looks at first like a series of impressive white arches joined together.

Casa Gomis is a perfect example of rationalist architecture, a style which first originated in the Enlightenment. It uses symmetry and geometrically defined structures combined with little ornamentation. In short, it gets rid of the clutter.

Step inside the house and gone is the usual mass of tat found in most homes. Instead, it is all about clear lines which give a bigger sense of space. This is reinforced by the light which comes in through the large windows which are studded with coloured glass.

There are classically designed sofas, chairs and even a table which has a double use: as a bar with a sunken portion to hide glasses and bottles.  

The Spanish government bought the house from the Gomis-Betrand family for €7.2 million last month to conserve it for the public for the future.

The family which owned Casa Gomis refused many requests for their home to be a location for film productions, however the site was used as a set for 2015’s ‘The Gunman’, starring Sean Penn, Ray Winston and Idris Elba.

Now it looks likely to be opened to the public as a museum which will celebrate its classic design and its setting in a protected wetland.

“The objective is to protect it, conserve it and to turn it into a large cultural centre 100% open to the public whose theme revolves around the dialogue between art and nature,” said Spanish culture minister Ernest Urtasun when he announced the purchase.

For the Spanish state to step in and spend this much money to preserve a classic building is something of an exception.

Spain is a highly devolved country, comprising 17 regions which are responsible for conservation of the nation’s heritage. Often these regional authorities struggle to pay for restoration of heritage projects and have to appeal for help from the private sector.  

Designed by Spanish architect Antonio Bonet Castellana, it was built between 1957 and 1963. It was commissioned by Inés Bertrand Mata and her husband Ricardo Gomis Serdañons, a wealthy merchant, who wanted a summer house for the family close to the beach.

Bonet Castellana left Spain after the Spanish civil war and lived in Argentina.

In those days, only propeller planes took off from the airport which is little more than a stone’s throw away.  To board a plane, one only had to walk to the runway as there was no security.

Expansion plans

Today, things have changed just a bit. The roar of jet engines regularly interrupts conversation even in the most peaceful confines of the house.  

Controversial plans to expand the airport have met with opposition from environmentalists and left-wingers.

Beatrice and Susanna Gomis-Betrand, two of the six siblings who inherited the house from their parents, do not believe Spain’s left-wing government stepped in to buy the house to stop the planned airport expansion.

“I don’t think that the government has bought the house to stop the airport expansion as I don’t think that it has anything to do with it,” says Beatrice Gomis-Bertrand.

“I think if the airport expansion is prevented, it will be for environmental reasons.”

The sisters, who spent their childhoods growing up in the house, admit it was a hard decision to sell a place which harboured so many memories.

“To divide it among our descendants was impossible. And the cost of maintaining the place was too much,” explained Beatrice Gomis-Bertrand.

“We did not look to sell it but then the state came in with this offer.”

The sisters took me on a tour of the house where the family came for every holiday.

Their parents had a bedroom-study which suggests the mood of the house was one of quiet relaxation but also work.

So large is the house that a series of telephones connected to the main part of the property – originally the only one with a telephone to the outside world.

Each of the six children had their own bedroom and bathroom, a luxury by anyone’s standards.

The bathrooms feature taps with coloured studs. The walls are covered in small, sea blue tiles – like the Mediterranean just a short walk away.

Step outside into the vast gardens and you are transported back into a time when the family must have enjoyed parties in the grounds.

The purchase of Casa Gomis appears to be an exception in a country where preserving valuable buildings is largely left to the Church or local authorities.   

Mervyn Samuel, who is part of the board of Hispañia Nostra, a conservation charity, said Spain did not have the same attitude to preserving its heritage as countries like Britain.

“There are 17 Spains. Each region has its own policy and priority towards conservation. Generally, they are quite good at looking after the valuable buildings in danger, but they do not have unlimited funds and often depend on the private sector,” he told Euronews Culture. 

“It is not a disastrous situation but there is a lot of work to be done. It is unusual for the state to buy a house like Casa Gomis.”

Samuel said Spain and Italy have the most heritage in Europe.

“There is a problem of depopulation in Spain, and they may have a church which goes back about 1,000 years but the people in the village cannot afford to save it,” he said.

Britain has the National Trust, a charity which was formed in 1895 and which today has 5.46 million members.  In contrast, Hispania Nostra has only 1,000 members.

“There is a culture of looking after old buildings in Spain but the trouble is in the past the Church or the state looked after them so there is an attitude of ‘why should I bother’ instead of paying a few hundred euros to help conservation as there is with things like the National Trust,” added Samuel, who has worked in banking and tourism.