Dassault Systèmes collaborates in the finalization of the capitals of the Sagrada Familia

The stone machining solutions based on Catia of dassault systèmes (DS), specialist in solutions for the management of the life cycle of products and 3D, have made it possible to finish the chapels of the apse of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia, the great work designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.

During the Spanish Civil War, the workshop of the architect was destroyed, and with him his sketches, models and models on the temple. This, combined with its particular way of working, caused that plans on how the work should finish although Yes were their plaster models, would not be but within. For this reason, when in 1940 was relaunched the construction, they had to restore in the first place the original plaster models to build the Temple of the way to more faithful to the ideas of Gaudí. The facade of the Nativity was declared Cultural patrimony of the humanity by Unesco in 2005.

Mathematical rules, teams of subsequent architects have been able to continue the project initiated by Gaudí. In 1989, the architect Mark Burry trusted it solutions to draw the draft. "We save long time since we can design a piece in 10 minutes while before they needed six months to conceive it manually," says Burry.

Dassault Systèmes and T-Systems Iberia have worked since 2001 with the Board of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia building.

Dassault Systèmes and its partner T-Systems Iberia, consulting and services company, have worked since 2001 with the Board of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia building for the creation of a mathematical algorithm that allowed the stone machining machines remove barriers to give way for the creation of the capitals. With Catia mechanical and architecture can be attached, and you can reproduce any form in three dimensions and control the movement of machining tools, mainly milling machines. Thus, carved of stone machines thrive on digital drawing files, which are generated that programmed their movement and trajectories that allow to create the successive concavities in the capitals. Juan José Blasco, director of operations of T-Systems Iberia, explains that "it's mathematics applied to the numerical control which allows to correct the restrictions on the movement of machining tools to the hardness of the granite used in this construction"", because of its Crystallographic composition".

Machines reproduced the ellipsoidal movement of tools, a technical pioneer in the world, which gives greater precision to the finish of the capitals as conceived it Antoni Gaudí. At this refurbished capital will join other nine chapels of the apse that support the upper structure, as well as eighteen columns that will be displayed on the façade of the passion. The promoters of the project include the consequent speed the implementation of this technology will provide for the treatment of the stone and the creation of the capital, with an extraordinary reduction of the period of manufacture of the constructive elements.

In the following phases of the project, the Dassault Systèmes PLM product lifecycle management solutions will improve and speed up the process of construction. "Still not have found answers to all the ideas of Gaudí, such as the cross that will be installed at the top of the Cathedral", points out the general architect and coordinator of the works of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia, Jordi Bonet i Armengol. "We probably take another 20 years get to that stage, but the technology that we are using with Dassault Systèmes PLM solutions is helping us make progress more quickly".

Machines reproduced the ellipsoidal movement of tools, a technical pioneer in the world, which gives greater precision to the finish of the capitals as conceived it Antoni Gaudí.