Front and centre

At many buildings on dense city blocks, one façade replete with ornate detailing is all that’s on show. Other walls tend to be less adorned or packed tightly against neighbouring structures.

This is not the case at Barcelona’s La Carbonería building, which has four dramatically embellished façades with arching windows and striking balustrades. Its construction took place in 1864 while plans for the city were still being drawn up and, with its developer unsure which wall would face the road, all were made attractive. When the streets were eventually…