The Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats asserts, "The roofs and sometimes the walls of Candela's shell structures are noteworthy for their seamless concrete construction, often only 1.07 inches (4 centimeters) thick. Félix Candela died at the age of 87 in 1997 in North Carolina. In regard to shell design, he tended to rely on the geometric properties of the shell for analysis, instead of complex mathematical means.Ĭandela eventually became a professor in Mexico, which is what he did for the remainder of his career. (Photo of Santiago Calatrava (left) and Felix Candela (right) from Gibson Design)Ĭandela worked very hard during his life time to prove the real nature and potential reinforced concrete had in structural engineering and earned the nickname, "the Shell Builder." He also looked to solve problems by the simplest means possible. In 1956, Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines said, "Nothing could be more serious than to sit in the shade of the buildings we are about to build.” Many of Candela's larger projects were given to him by the Mexican government, such as the Cosmic Rays Pavilion. He was responsible for more than 300 works and 900 projects in this time period. Candela did most of his work in Mexico throughout the 1950s and into the late 60s. He began building beautiful churches such as Medalla de la Virgen Milagrosa (1953-1955), Nuestra Senora de la Soledad Chapel (1955), and San Jose Obrero (1959), all in Mexico City, and the Open Chapel in Lomas de Cuernavaca (1958) ( Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats, By Donald Langmead, Christine Garnaut, ). Because this was a new way of building, Candela acted as architect, structural engineer, and contractor, even training the construction workers himself. In his early life, Felix was active in sports, particularly rugby and skiing.įirst working for others in Acapulco, he moved to Mexico city and set up his own practice, specializing in the design and construction of thin tensile concrete shells. After his name was selected with a few hundred other prisoners, Candela was put onto a ship bound for Mexico, where he began his career.Ĭandela married Eladia Martin when he moved to Mexico from Spain there, they raised a family. Candela fought against Franco therefore he could not stay in the new Spain as long as Franco was the head of state. While participating in the civil war, Candela was imprisoned in the Perpignan Concentration camp in Perpignan, France until the end of the war in 1939. Candela became a Captain of Engineers for the Spanish republic. The Spanish Civil War began in 1936, and Candela returned to Spain to fight. Candela then traveled to Germany to further study architecture. According to Wikipedia, in 1927 Candela enrolled in La Escuela Superior de Arquitectura (Madrid Superior Technical School of Architecture), graduating in 1935. 142-153.Felix Candela and Restaurant Los Manatiales, Xochimilco, Mexicoįelix Candela Outerino, known best simply as Felix Candela, was born in Madrid, Spain in 1910. Princeton University Art Museum, Yale University Press, New Haven (USA), ISBN 978-9-1, pp. Moreyra / Billington, David P.: Félix Candela. Álvarez-Dorado, Manuel / Fernández-Vega, Daniel / Morón-Fernández, Carlos (2023): Estudio comparativo de estructuras Ligeras en la arquitectura moderna: Eladio Dieste vs Félix Candela = Comparative study of lightweight structures in modern architecture: Eladio Dieste vs.Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York (USA), pp. Faber, Colin (1963): Candela/The Shell Builder.Éditions du Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (France), pp. Picon, Antoine (1997): L'art de l'ingénieur.(2011): Análisis estructural de algunas obras de Félix Candela mediante modelos de elementos finitos. Oliva Quecedo, Javier / Antolín Sánchez, Pablo / Cámara Casado, Alfredo / Goicolea Ruigómez, José M.Great Buildings Online: Los Manantiales.
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