Gaudí's Sagrada Família: from ancient arches to the world's tallest church

Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família in Barcelona—still unfinished—has become the world’s tallest church at 172.5m thanks to a catenary-arch design and cutting-edge engineering: tree-like load-bearing columns, internal steel-tendoned pre-stressed stone panels to replace flying buttresses, and an Arup-led approach that lightens weight and improves wind resistance; the project also uses drones and AI to monitor cracks as it nears completion, with a centenary inauguration of the central tower.