Felix-Candela-Builder-of-Dreams.pdf

edited by

Fausto Giovannardi

Felix Candela Costruttore di sogni

2


At the beginning of modern, steel

Life

manufacturers said the impulse to create

Outeri%o Flix !andela, was one of the

new models. The next innovation to wrap

most important architects of the twentieth

the concrete has led to materialize the

century. &is adventurous life can be

most extreme forms: the boldness was

divided into three periods, matching his

accompanied to the imagination and the

stay in 'pain, (exico and the )nited

forms and materials have been adapted

'tates.

at all efforts. One of the main protagonists

The first period runs from birth, in (adrid

of this development was around the

on *anuary +, --/, until the end of the

middle of last century Flix !andela "hereafter F!#, who is remembered for his

extraordinary

roof of reinforced

concrete shell, the shape of hyperbolic paraboloids. 'panish !ivil 0ar in (arch -1. La obras mejor es la que sostiene por 1

su forma.

'on of traders from !revillente "2alencia#, which tells you not heard the

Eduardo Torroja

call, which seems to have had other famous architects or engineers, but that had little since the desire to build. !ompleted higher studies, is enrolled in the 'chool of Architecture in (adrid for the event or the advice of a friend. 3ow you wilt in the study of descriptive geometry, and the third year in the 4esistencia de (ateriales, who studied with 5rofessor 6uis 2egas, where he became a student assistant. &is interest in the artistic aspects was very low, and also in the field of design is declared incapable. 7ts focus was entirely on the technical side of architecture and usually for exact sciences.

1

The best wor$ is that it maintains for its shape.

7n 8outh F! was a good athlete and won 3


the Architectural Form@.
the prize for an internship in >ermany and Finsterwalder
not departed. 'hortly after it enlisted, the

s$iing and rugby team.

army as a volunteer 4epublican to defend

The years of its formation were years of

the legality of golpisti against Franco.

great political and cultural effervescence,

8ears later, thin$ing bac$ to this choice,

culminating in -1- with the proclamation

F! showed no regrets, and indeed said:

of the 'econd 'panish 4epublic, which

@I could not even benefit from the

put an end to the monarchy of Alfonso

knowledge of German professors,

9777. The cultural openness of the new

learned some lessons from the revolution

government allowed the proliferation of

and civil war, I was very useful .@

new and different philosophical and

F! was assigned to !omandancia de

artistic trends.

Obras to Albacete and shortly after was

&e graduated in -1, immediately

promoted to !apitBn de 7ngenieros. The

opened a small studio with ;duardo

civil war +was long and ended with the

4obles and 4amirez
victory of the nationalists of Francisco

arrangement giving repetitions and doing

Franco. After a long retreat through the

small =obs, !andela deepened the study of structure design of steel and reinforced concrete. The shell structures that are built in ;urope in the twenties "ermany, Freyssinet in France, 3ervi in 7taly and ;duardo Torro=a in 'pain, etc.#
2

The 'panish !ivil 0ar brea$s out in -1?. The general elections of February -? leftCwing forces are returning to the government, through the first experiment of 5opular Front. On *uly -, however, the situation falls: some military garrisons arise against the 4epublican government " @alzamiento@# and >eneral Franco arrived on the national soil with the colonial troops from (orocco. 7t is the beginning of the civil war, with serious repercussions on the international level. 'pain is the scene of the first armed clash between fascism and antifascism, with the participation of many intellectuals from all over the world, from the ).'. "from

5yrenees, the group !andela found

moved to (exico !ity to wor$ with *esEs

refuge in the concentration camp at

(art, a refugee himself 'panish, who

5erpignan, France, where he remained

directed a study of architecture. There it

for four months as an exile 1, the fate

remained for four years, probably the

wished that her name was among those

most peaceful of his life, wor$ing on the

that (exico was willing to accept .

construction of many residential buildings,

!andela landed at 2eracruz "(exico# on

and the reconstruction of the !asino de la

*une -1 -1. Among the more than a

'elva in !uernavaca, recently returned to

thousand exiled 'paniards, who were

the fore because nearly destroyed to

welcomed in (exico, + were architects,

ma$e way for a supermar$etD. 7n =ust

and Felix !andela one of the youngest. 7n

created a hotel and a cinema in

addition to 'panish, other architects also

>uamEchil and built its first line of section

arrived foreigners fleeing from totalitarian

"at trial# and then apply it in the draft of a

regimes in ;urope, as !etto and &annes

ural school in Tamaulipas.

(ax (eier.

The gain realized that he was sufficient to

The arrival of this flower technicians

come to (exico, 'pain, his mother and

coincided with a period of great

his sister *ulia and also shortly after his

development for the !entral American

brother Antonio.

country, where government incentives

!onfident and optimistic for the prospects

construction, to meet the popular demand

of his wor$, decided to found a building

of residences.

contractor specializing in roofing. Thus

Thus beginning the second period of his

cubiertas Ala, a company with the

life. 7nitially settled in a 'panish colony of exiles, -// $m north of !hihuahua, where shortly after she married ;ladio (artin, who $new from (adrid. 7n -D- both too$ the (exican nationality. 'ince their marriage were born four children: Antonia, Teresa, and sister 5ilar and (anola.
France recognized the Franco government, and then exiles became a problem.

4

A serious attac$ on the 0orld !ultural &eritage has been made in !uernavaca in (exico: the destruction of the !asino de la 'elva, the (exican 'istine !hapel. @ The (exican wee$ly G6a *ornadaG reported the protest of !olombian writer >abriel >arcia (arHuez who, along with a group of intellectuals, will submit to )3;'!O a pro=ect to transform the !asino de la 'elva in an 7nternational 7nstitute of the Arts. The building was a Gwor$ of famous 'panish architect Felix !andela that ahead of the curve, the $nown hazards hyperbolic parabolic dome. The demolition, authorized by the (unicipal 5residency, started by the ).'. supermar$et chain 5rice costs, continuing with considerable environmental damage by the 0allC(art, even without the permission of ;nvironmental (anagement. A massacre aggravated by the destruction of wor$s of art of painting murals that were inside the complex, signed wor$s by 'iHueiros, Orozco, 4ivera, 'ilvio Ienedetto, Atl, messenger, !amarena, 4enau, (eza, Flores, Iallester, >onzales, !ueva

architects brother 4aul and Fernando

fortuitous double curvature surface.

Fernandez 4angel, who was also

7n -- !andela achieves coverage that

participate Antonio and *ulia.

will give him international fame: the

7n this endeavor Felix !andela was

5abellKn de rayos !Ksmicos. A small

architect, engineer, consultant, computer,

pavilion -+ x -/. meters, designed by

contractor and manufacturer. &is first

*orge >onzBlez 4eyna and build within

contract was a bloc$ of apartments with

the university campus, to host a

shops on the ground floor. The structural

wor$shop.

calculations and drawings executives

'pecialist for measuring neutrons. The

were treated to the smallest details. The

reHuest was that of the coverage had a

same client then entrusted the

thic$ness not exceeding -. cm. !andela

construction of &otel !atedral in calle de

propose to use a double curvature

instead of the cylindrical coverage

who later become rector of )3A( ?. 0hile wor$ing hard, !andela continued to study and to upgrade. 4eading an article about 0inter >rorge *ournal of the American !oncrete 7nstitute, which discussed the construction of times a double curvature, re$indled his interest for the young thin shell structures. &e began to search for articles and, after having translated with the help of the dictionary from ;nglish, French and >erman, began to study them in depth, see$ing the ability to calculate these structures using the simplest of those

provided in the draft >onzJlez 4eyna,

classics. A second trial, he was standing

arguing that this gave the geometric

in the soil of the Fabric FernJndez. 7ssue

stiffness needed to allow the execution of

once conoidale - x ? meters, with a

a cover thic$ness. This was the first

thic$ness of 1 cm, supported on the

example in which !andela used a

sides, two strings of different bolt, one of

solution of parabolide hyperbolic "or

them very low, much to generate a

&ypar #, a geometric shape that had 7

6

3ational Autonomous )niversity of (exico.

The structures in the shape of hyperbolic paraboloids "&ypar with the abbreviation )'A# in architecture have been realized for the first time dallGingegnere 4ussian 2ladimir 'hu$lov 6


studied in an article published in -1? ,

company cubiertas Ala, as a collaborator

and that will come to $now and dominate,

of the main architects (exicans-/, who

used with great virtuosity, to generate

had their increasingly capricious pro=ects,

those (anti soft and sinuous that

he was almost a magician. !andela

constitute its most emblematic creations.

defined geometrically, regularized,

The success that got him exclaim: @que

re=ected what seemed illogical and

es fcil hacerse famous@, and such a

transformed ideas into a pro=ect, which

strong stimulus for creative and

instructed the calculation of the building

confidence in their s$ills. &e began to

and then convert the idea into reality. 7n

write articles about his wor$ and sent one

regards wrote in -: @ !y main ob is to

of the first, entitled @!onsideraciones al

simplify and regulari#e the rough and I

have to convince that the outcome is not

!oncrete@, all GA!7 *ournal, who refused

in constructing forms e$travagant, but get

because little technical. "The newspaper,

things simple, carefully studying the

two years later, he accepted his =ob

details.@

@;structuras de 'imples !oncrete@#. 7n

Ietween -- and -1 created 

-- presented an essay, @&acia una

residential buildings for the periodic

nueva de las ;structuras 5hilosophy,@ the

3ovedades, who drawn between its

(exican 'cientific !ongress 77.

subscribers, in the *ardin del 5edregal,

(eanwhile "-1# became a professor

within the revolutionary pro=ect of urban

and then head of the department of

6uis IarragJn. !andela used shells, as

architecture at the )niversity of (exico

interp, but the experience is not found

!ity. From the construction of 5abellKn de rayos !Ksmicos, !andela began to receive assignments of greater importance. (ostly wor$ed with his "-1C-1#, which rifece to areas with double curvature, defined by analytically 4ussian mathematician 3i$olai 6obachevs$y. The first structure was the coverage of the 4ussian pavilion of -? to 3izhny 3ovgorod.

F. Amond L ;tude statiHue des voiles minces en paraboloidee hyperboliHue travaillant sans flexionM Nurich,-1? 9 Lpor fin, al cumplir los Huaranta anos, descubr asombrado Hue mi desordenata y casual formaciPn pareca haber sido misteriosamente dirigida en un determinado sentito Hue me permitia encontrarme preparado para la labor Hue tena Hue e=ecutarM F. !andela: ;n defensa del formalismo y otros escrittos , 9airat ;diciones, Iilbao - , p. 8

--

10

The $ey collaborations: 6os Almacenes de 6as Aduanas "customs warehouses# 2alle=o, -1 with !arlos 4ecamier. The mar$ets, built between - and -? in !oyoacan, Azcapotzalco and Anahuac, with 5edro 4amirez 2JzHuez and 4afael (i=ares. The 4estaurant at 6os (anantiales 9ochimilco, in -, with *oaHuin AGlvarez Ordo%ez The !apilla de abierta 5almira in !uernavaca in - with 4osell and (anuel >uillermo 6arrosa. Then there is a long and fruitful relationship with ;nriHue de 6a (ora 6opez and Fernando !armona, which began in - with coverage of the stoc$ mar$et "Iolsa de valores# of (exico, the various churches: el Altillo "!oyoacan, -#, 'an Antonio de las &uertas "uadalupe in (adrid, which was the first by a (exican architect in 'pain and which mar$ed the return of professional !andela in his native homeland. 7n last collaboration with 'antiago !alatrava for the pro=ect of GOceanographic in 2alencia, wor$ completed posthumously.

F. !andela, L!arta de FQlix !andela al directorM in ArHuitectura, (adrid Ottobre - 11

7


positive and not the shots anymore.

wor$s of the company cubiertas Ala are

A year after he built his own house, a villa

worthy of mention, in (exico: Atzeca

in traditional (editerranean style, a

'tadium, the )niversity Theater !enter

Tlacopac, in the south east of (exico

and the ;lectronic 3ational Autonomous

!ity. 7n this regard commented: @I will not

)niversity of (exico, the monumental

chance to show my house a few architect

arch of (onterrey, and in the international

,%%%, all hope that living in a monstrous

arena, the !uban 5residential 5alace,

turned with the roof and walls of glass.@ -+

whose creation was decided before the

7n this period !andela built the first

fall of Iatista, the Auditorium of

prototype paraguas "umbrella#.

!artography of !aracas, the Auditorium

Ruadrangular coverage consists of four

of (aracaibo, the &emisfair Tower of 'an

timpani of hypar, supported by a single

Antonio, the !rystal 5alace in 6ondon

central pillar, which found space inside

and the sports complex at the )niversity

the pipe rain. Iecause of its costC

of 4hode Irown 7sland.

effectiveness and speed of construction

They were the years when Flix !andela,

"you could reuse the same housing#, this

now considered the main designer of

structure had a huge spread and was the

times in the world, was a constant

$ind of coverage reHuired by most

presence in magazines worldwide, and

builders and architects (exicans, for

was invited to give lectures in many

industrial buildings and above all service

universities, mainly in the ).'.. &is

stations.

reports were always an example of simplicity and they confirmed the

7n its +? years of operation "-/C-?#

s$epticism of youth compared to the

the company cubiertas Ala performed an

complicated calculations of the theory of

impressive number of wor$s: -D1 drew

membrane structures. The criticisms

up plans, which were built ?, of which

made to the theory that the role of

over /S were industrial buildings. The

practice, created hostilities within the

period of increased activity was between

many small circuit of international

-? and -?/, five of which were built in

specialists.

a total of 1 wor$s. -1

7n *uly -?-, in 6ondon, during the

Among the >iral, A.  la arHuitectura de FQlix !andela U in AA.22.;l desierro espanol en America. (adrid (in. !ultura. 13 Tabla de obras de !ubiertas Ala, >ermenon 'alum da *uan Tonda (agallKn ;diciones !orunda +/// (exico
congress of the 7nternational )nion of Architects ")7A# he was awarded 8


the prestigious Auguste 5erret 5rize for

were no more conditions "suitable for

the excellence of his wor$. A month after

manodGopera and low so, flexible rules

he was decorated with a gold medal that

and creativity# of the gold. And then

the 7nstitution of ;ngineers structural

starts the third period of his life, in which

engineers assigned to the best structural

!andela had a profound transformation

engineers in the world "before him:

professional and creative led him to

*FIa$er in -/+, ;ugene Freyssinet

abandon his wor$ as designer

-, &ardy !ross -#.

Vmanufacturer. (oved to !hicago where

7n -?1 his wife died five years later she

he was a fullCtime professor at the

married !andela, the architect ).'.

)niversity of 7llinois from -- to -,

when it adopted ).'. citizenship.
The last important wor$ of Felix !andela

let all of his creative wor$, is associated

was the 5alazzo dello 'port for the

to the study 7dea !enter in Toronto and

Olympic >ames in (exico !ity in -?,

attended to ambitious pro=ects, including

built in collaboration with ;nriHue

the 'antiago Iernabeu stadium in (adrid

!asta%eda and Antonio 5eyre, which

"that pro=ect was not realized#, the !ity of

replaced the use of shells of concrete, not

'port in Wuwait, the 7slamic !ultural

suitable for large lights , 0ith an

!enter (adrid, a tower of offices in

economic and ingenious semiCmetal

4iyadh, an airport in (urcia, coverage for

structure, divided into panels that are

a stadium 7slamic )niversity in 4iyadh,

inserted elements shaped paraguas,

the Feria de (uestras of (arbella, the

covered with plates of copper. The effect

6egislature of 2eracruz, the (aster 5lan

is that of the shell of a large turtle, which

of 7slamic, the 5rosecutor of 9alapa hotel

has become a symbol of the (exican

in !ancun, and ultimately the !ity of Arts

capital. 7n --, after nearly two decades

and 'cience in 2alencia, with space built

teaching at the 3ational Autonomous

in the par$ where Oceanographic

)niversity of (exico, decided to emigrate to the ).'., to teach at the )niversity of 7llinois. This influenced the decision, the misunderstandings with the management of the Faculty of Architecture, the new American wife and the decline of his company cubiertas Ala, a conseHuence of the fact that times had changed and there 9


coverage of access and the restaurant are underwater parabolidi hyperbolic concrete, made in collaboration with 'antiago !alatrava, which has the merit of ma$ing worthy tribute to this great teacher, for too long forgotten. 7s to 2alencia, as a result of again of an old heart disease, Flix !andela returned to the )nited 'tates, to 4aleigh in 3orth !arolina, where he lived from -/ to be admitted allG&ospital de
10


The projects and achievements

'ome of the ma=or wor$s and pro=ects by Flix !andela: -D/ &otel e appartamenti ad Acapulco, in collaborazione con Iringas. -/C-- 5abellKn de los 4ayos !Ksmicos, !ittJ del (essico. -1C- 7glesia de la (edalla de la 2irgen (ilagrosa, 3avarte. -DC- FBbrica !elestino FernBndez, !olonia 2alle=o. -DC- Iolsa de 2alores, !ittJ del (essico. - !apilla de 3uestra 'e%ora de la 'oledad, !oyoacBn. -C-? Ruiosco de (Esica, 'anta Fe. -? !apilla de 'an Antonio de las &uertas, Tacuba. -?C- !lub notturno 6a *acaranda, Acapulco. -?C- 4estaurante 6os (anantiales, 9ochimilco. -C- !apilla abierta en 6omas de !uernavaca, 5almira. -C- Iaslica de >uadalupe, !ittJ del (essico. -C- 7glesia de 'an *os Obrero, (onterrey. - !apilla de 'an 2icente 5aul, !oyoacBn. -C-?/ !apilla de 'anta (Knica, 'an 6orenzo di 9ochimancas. -C-?/ 5lanta embotelladora ditta Iacard, !uautitlBn. -?+C-?1 7glesia 3uestra 'e%ora de >uadalupe, (adrid, 'pagna. -?C-? 5alacio de
to

convert

the

structures

laminaria in a work of art . @ &is

greatest contribution in the field were the

structural laminaria

concrete structures, generated from

hyperbolic

paraboloids

"&ypar#, a geometric shape of 4oofing read in concrete form of

extraordinary effectiveness, which

armed with umbrellas spigolosi

in a draft version, has become the

"edges# or sinuous mantle, that

hallmar$ of its architecture.

Felix !andela built in the fifties and sixties, made it a symbol of

The first shell "cascarones-D# that

(exican twentieth century. As Frei

has built !andela, was once a

Otto said: @&andela only managed

14

6iterally: 'hell egg.

11


funicular trial in the summer of

which brea$s away supported by a

-D. For its construction followed

small

support

the example of some prototypes

The

commitment

built in ;ngland during the 'econd

!andela had studied the 'trength

0orld 0ar. 7t seems that the

of

inventor of the time was Wurt

understand how illusory are the soC

Iilling, and the system used to be

called analysis accurate: @ 'hen I

called @!tesiphon@, the name of an

started to build shells, my mind

old arcade building in 'yria. The

was

success

this

students we believe in everything

experiment encourages !andela to

that we is taught, for e$ample, that

consider the possibility of devoting

there are methods to calculate the

themselves

shells.

e$act structures% I started working

proposing

to stop believing in everything that I

something different in order to

believed% (ut this is a necessary, if

survive in the highly competitive

one

field of construction in (exico. At

original

about the same !andela, said:

The 5abellKn de rayos !Ksmicos

@despite the !e$ican tradition of

designed with *orge >onzales

building curved shapes and bold,

4eyna, for the city university of

concrete vaults were to look with

(exico !ity, with its undulating

suspicion% 'e thought they were

concrete cover thic$ness of only -

unsafe,

subsoil

mm, which allows measurement

frequent

from the neutron, is one of the most

achieved

7ndispensabie

to

building was

because

conditions

with

and

of

(aterials

making

wants

to

2.

with

allowed

from

which him

school%

to build

to

As

something

@

earthquakes@

emblematic buildings of his wor$.

!overage for a coach was the

0ith its shape, almost a spaceship

second adventure of !andela with

about

hypars. The shape is very similar to

structure acclaimed by all and that

the time of the Pavilion de rayos

brings

Cosmicos Iut here were omitted

From -- to -1, his wor$ was

arcs irrigidenti. One of the edges

an impressive variety. These two

supports the roc$y soil and the

years were essential to understand,

other is supported by a wall of

almost intuitively how the shells.

concrete, the sides of the shell

Focused on the most simple,

to

land,

was

the

first

fame.

12


guided by two principles that are

and to cover the Auditorium of the

essential in these structures: the

Faculty of !hemical 'ciences of

static and geometry. Iuilt short

the )niversity of (exico !ity, which

times,

prismatic

and

is

corrugated

sheets,

formed

cones,

domes,

by

fan,

two

almost the entire range of

forms

$nown.

4esidence !andela

7n

4omero, had

the

opportunity to do a cover sheet to -

'inusoidal .

6Ginspirazione

The

inspiration came from a photograph at

!openhagen,

designed

by

2ilhelm 6auritzen. The structure was so obvious that !andela was @trying to do something similar .@ !andela built two more of these structures.

(ethods

of

prefabricated steel were used for ;scuola (ontes Alpes and for a seminar. The first is a twoCstory structure with light of  meters and sudden changes of +. mt from both sides. The second has four floors, and in the original intentions were to be six. 5robably this was the first time that shells were used as interpiani. Iut there were a good solution and !andela came to be seen as a "search path without hope.@

-+

is

wor$ing

with

>uillermo ;nriHue 8anez 4osel 15

The covers that folded prism or the >ermans call @Faltwer$e@ and the French @toits plisss@ follow the principle of resistance through the corrugated

truncated cones, =oined a long common border. The light cone rising from  to - meters. The media were inclined an added feature, compared to the original plan to improve its appearance. !andela

such

comments,

@I

thought to avoid the problems of calculation on the rods and cones as

giving

form

of

line.@

This is the only building in which !andela has wor$ed with cones, and is also one of the few instances where he wor$ed as a consultant

only

and

not

as

supervisor. 7n -1, he built an elliptical dome to cover with a roof of the residence

hall

dance

>allego

!enter. The dome is relatively low and based on existing walls, but since the plantGs dome does not correspond to the walls, his weight is transferred to them through a complicated

system

of

rays 13


perimeter. 7ts strength was put to

That this could be a practical

the test when the owners, showing

solution for low cost housing was

a confidence that, as !andela

demonstrated by several hundred

says, @7 do not fully shared,@ did you

units erected on the plains of

hang

(onterrey.

in

the

center,

an

old

The

umbrella

side

chandelier weighing over one ton.

produced a more attractive roof of

This concentrated load huge, so

the traditional flat plate, usually

cheerfully imposed on the dome,

used in (exico for such wor$. The

was born until now, without signs of strain. The simplest structure created with hypar was the umbrella upside down "paraguas invertido# which combines four rectangular sails, divided by straight lines and is

structure, used in repeated, was

=oining the center in a single center

because all the economic load of

column where the exhaust pipe

the roof were focused on one point,

rain. For all this was a very simple

with the savings resulting in the

and economical to cover the space

foundations of walls that were not

industry, petrol stations and other

solicited. !andela built for a hotel in

places where moving vehicles.

!uernavaca, thirty bungalows with

)mbrellas began to be used for

roofs that have a similar plant -D x

shelters 7nput attractiveness of

 mt. Their inhabitants called the

laboratories, warehouses and other

@*apanese houses.@

buildings. 7n !andela there are a series of

'oon this solution consists of a

notes that describe the various

large number of variants, such as

types and sizes possible. One

plant forms with triangular or

show even an umbrella for sample

hexagonal. The use of a

plan, designed to resist heavy

diagonal

loads, dedicated to many car par$s

allowed to increase the size

plans or wholesale stores.

blan$ets. Advancing in this

rib

and

curve

$ind of evolution dellGhypar, very soon discovered they 14


were

the

main

dishes

and

asymmetric

and

with

different

horizontal cuts that are hyperbole

curvature to allow the passage of

from which it ta$es its name

light through this became suitable

pompous

for building churches and other

this

surface

almost

magical. )niting them for their

buildings

curved edges, is formed when two

needs. 'o it came to designing the

similar

!hurch of the Virgen de la

at

the

intersection

cylindrical cruising aisles of the

with

more

aesthetic

milagro.

Medalla

ancient churches, often built with masonry

bric$

or

stone.

The

This church, built from -1, is an

difference now is that instead of

extraordinary

building.

The

intersection of cylinders, it has

powerful structure is a fearless

unGintersecazione of iperboloidi and

combination of deformed surfaces,

instead of masonry, reinforced

which create an impressive interior

concrete, two important features of

space. As it seems chaotic, there is

modernity.

the play of natural forms of >audi and 5icasso cubist experiments.

'ubseHuently, many wor$s were

Iased

on

the

pattern

of

a

performed with the base of a

traditional plant with three naves, at

paraboloid with only the edges

shells

limited by arches and many other

thic$ness, in this wor$ reaches its

combinations were sought from the

highest expression plastic. !andela

edge rectum combined with that

achieves

bent. 0ith this last combination

innovative structure that recalls the

was very spectacular the !hurch of

gothic

D

cm

spectacular

cathedrals,

in

and

expressed

through the structure a sense of

Fernando 6Kpez !armona and

ascension. The main front is a

enforced by cubiertas Ala. 7n its

large triangle, while the front side is

plant with a fan, ten branches of

shaped zigzagante generated by

paraboloid with a clearance of 1/ m

the extremes of the four triangular

that have =oined the center in one

side chapels. 7n fact, the structure

sturdy column, which gives the

of this church is the result of

impression of being a big palm.

successive paraguas, with whom

Then

designed

a

of

by

Santa

Mónica,

coverage

umbrellas

became

he played !andela, a modified form 15


and brea$ing the symmetry. The

domes daring were built without aid

columns ta$e a distorted form,

of differential calculus, but instead

designed intuitively as the loads

of it, made use of a great sense of G

that must lead, and there are no

balance and sensible view of the

capitals

no

game of forces, as very necessary

communication between support

for a manufacturer, much more

and coverage, which results in a

profound $nowledge of discoveries

single item. ;ven the high tower is

of mathematics@

made with hypars.
7n an interview at a premium,

the church wanted a traditional

!andela said that this was the wor$

design "in the >othic style# and not

that had given more satisfaction,

suspect

get

and the Huestion of whether the

something more. 7t is as if !andela

public li$ed, said, @especially for

you would see how far you can go

women architects li$e ,..., not. @

with this type of structures. 7n this

!andela in -, built by ;nriHue

respect, the >othic church is a

de la (ora and Fernando !armona

triangular,

6Kpez a series of structures. La

and

that

virtually

they

with all

might

its vertical

emphasis. >iven the basic idea of

Capilla

umbrellas and their zigzag edges

completely different concept than

through the air, !andela said:

that of the church de la (edalla

@;verything in her designs are

milagro. Artwor$ created by this

more or less by himself.@ The

collaboration was the 3ew 'toc$

preliminary draft was done in an

;xchange of 2alues of !alle de

afternoon, designed in a wee$ and

)ruguay in (exico !ity, which was

calculated during construction. The

built in a coverage of - x +? m

calculations "necessarily extended,

and a height of .+ m in the

because all surfaces have different

center,

configuration#

an

corners

the

example of an ob=ect with the draft.

unexpected

revealed push

towards

del

ltillo

supported which

had

-?

a

in

the

four

was

the

first

upper edges of the roof. The

This is a particular feature which

comments on this pro=ect led to

has Hualified the wor$ of !andela:

!andela wrote: @'ometimes the

the development of the draft.

imposing stone of the >othic cathedrals

and

4enaissance

4amirez
16


!andela says have come almost by

to 9ochimilco, built between -

intuition: @I knew that the draft was

and -, the architect for the

a

we

pro=ect *oaHun Xlvarez OrdK%ez,

it

where sometimes polygonal came

practice,

long

before

intellectually understand how

worked," and also describes how to

at + and 1/ meters in diameter.

obtain the necessary resistance, "if we want to keep the edges free, we must

provide

some

edges

or

corners, that reach the ground for inclined lines ... @)*

From such a time of four branches, it was proven variant three, five six more branches, to become a plant polygonal times with the same solution to iperboloidi cloa$s. 0ith this type were carried out

many =obs, the most extraordinary of which is the dining room at the !asino de la 'elva in !uernavaca "five branches# and the restaurant 6os (anantiales "eight branches# F.!andela in ArHuitecturaV(exico anno 999 tomo 99777,n.-// aprileVgiugno -? 17

17


Another wor$ is characterized in its

that allow the passage of light. The

great production, Huality and

outer perimeter arches are closed

innovative proposal: the building of

by large windows which, the

bottling factory !acardi "-#. For

dynamic space, along with ribs and

the building of Iacardi, !andela

triangular windows, an amazing

was inspired to form the airport of

brightness.

'an 6uis (inoru 8amasa$i of

The building of !andela is not far

(issouri. 'ix large domes of 1/

from the pro=ect that (ies van der

meters of light and D cm thic$,

4ohe has done in (exico: the

arranged in pairs to form three

place of Iacardy y !ia. Open as

rows, covering an area of more

usual !andela, he criticized the

than /// sHuare meters. ;ach

large flat recital coverage against

dome is a sHuare and composed

nature to the concrete wor$ in that

from two hypar, with the four sides

form little logic, and then

by archways delimited parabola

estrendere dissent across the

profile inclined to @draft@, from

rationalist architecture.

which, in parts of fit, vertical

7n -?-, while he was in 6ondon,

triangular sections, sealed glass,

the sixth 7nternational !ongress of 18


Architects, F! was impressed by

One recent wor$ "-?#

the pro=ect of the @itinerant theater,@

which

was

designed

by a young 'panish student ;milio

coverage of the hall of station of

5erez 5i%ero "-1C-+# and

(etro !andelaria, which uses the

won. &e began a passionate

same $ind of umbrella of x-D m ?,

friendship and cooperation that is

repeated for ++ times, grouped in

expressed in the draft competition

-- pairs symmetrical leaving an

for the coverage of the Anoeta

aisle !entral to the central zenithal

2elodrome in 'an 'ebastian ";'#.

lighting. 7n these umbrellas formed

For this =ob F! returned to 'pain in

a $ind of palm leaf with twelve

-+. The pro=ect provided a great

mantle. The resulting effect is

dome geodetic, obtained the

stri$ing, with the columns "D meters

intersection of three families of

high# that seem the trun$ of the

arms, forming reticles regular

palm species naturally.

hexagons and triangles and a

One recent wor$ "-?# which was

mesh is inserted covering elements

designed !andela coverage of the

of hypar. ;milio 5erez 5i%ero, a

hall of station of (etro !andelaria,

young genius of the structures,

which uses the same $ind of

ended his earthly extraordinary

umbrella of x-D m ?, repeated for

adventure, in an accident with his

++ times, grouped in -- pairs

Ferrari, a
symmetrical

sites.

!entral to the central zenithal

.

lighting. 7n these umbrellas formed

leaving

!andela

an

aisle

a $ind of palm leaf with twelve mantle. The resulting effect is stri$ing, with the columns "D meters high# that seem the trun$ of the palm species naturally..

Cu"iertas la 19


0ith his company !ubiertas Ala.

the thin strips of concrete that

were made -D1 pro=ects, of which

comply with these shells, do not

? built. A lot of these buildings

comply with the regulations for

was an industrial and well $nown

construction in the more developed

forms of umbrellas, which still can

countries. 7n this regard !andela

be seen in many gas stations and

writes:

service of the Federal
@The strict regulations of what can

"(exico !ity#. 8ou must remember

be done, it means virtually

that this type of structure, which

impossible groped for new roads,

has a single central column houses

to evolve and [email protected]

where the pipe and rain with only a

The $ey to the process of

plinth of Trustees, is one of the

construction of the shell was in the

most celebrated contributions to

complicated development of

!andela for its lightness, simplicity

housing "!imbrian#, made with

and economy, which have been

plan$s of wood panconcello, which

performed many wor$s, in which

comply with surface turned, that

the use repetitive allowed to cover

gave shape to cover. Above the

thousands of sHuare meters and

housing is the armature of small

build industrial buildings without the

diameter, to form a lattice above

need for a real pro=ect, but through

which threw the cement, to a

a simple procedure that ended up

thic$ness of D cm. As soon as this

being standardized.

had ta$en detach the housing and

4oofing shaped hyperbolic

the shell ta$es its final form. To do

paraboloid, that mar$ed an era

this it needed the participation of

dellGarchitetura (exican, could be

many people, recruited from

built only in that place and at that

migration from the countryside who

precise moment, than$s to the

came to town, and that contributed

ability and constructive vision of

wor$ men good low cost. 0hen in

space Flix !andela and a few

-?D 5resident >ustavo
other architects who dominated the

Ordaz, promulgated a law that

complex system needed to develop

increased the minimum wage, los

constructive and availability of high

cascarones ceased to be

labor cheap. 0or$s impossible to

convenient and enterprise

achieve in other countries, because 6oo$ note -

18

20


!ubiertas Ala began its inexorable

rchitect or engineer

decline.

(any architects say that Flix !andela was a magnificent structure, but that does not ever completed its wor$. 0e do not put doors and windows, nor ended the various installations, and not of concern. 7n a word, preparing the structure and then not occupied most of what happened afterwards. 'o, say that he is not entitled to be between the architects. 'ome engineers argue that Flix !andela was a wonderful architect who did not $now how to calculate its structures, which often made eye. 'o modest is its importance in the history of engineering. Flix !andela is in a no manGs land and is attac$ed from two fronts, seemingly irreconcilable. 6oo$ing at his wor$ is evident that he is predominantly occupied structures, but only those that are indispensable for architecture, not bridges, depots, the wor$s of their buildings and other engineering. 7n particular, the specific nature of his wor$ lies in the sensitivity that was in line with resistant forms. &is biggest contribution in the field of structural facilities were in the form of shells, generated from hyperbolic paraboloid, a geometric 21


shape of extraordinary efficiency

expressed in his wor$ a few ideas:

that has become the hallmar$ of its

the idea that the structure must be a poet, the belief that the structure is shaped much more than the material used, and the line of research on reading coverages of reinforced concrete. All the wor$ of Flix !andela reaffirms the role of the designer in relation to structural problems, for research form of resistance: the extraordinary relationship between strength and resistance, he always sought the shape of the problem, not the problem of form. &ereGs why he was an architect structure or whether more li$e an architectural structure# $ards

-?- >old (edal from 7stitution of engineer 'tructurist, 6ondon. -?- award Auguste 5erret from 7nternational union of Architets. -?-V?+ !harles ;liot 3orton professor of 5oetry dellG)niversitJ di &arvard !ambridgeV(assachusetts -- >old (edal of the architectural - Award Antonio !amu%as of architecture. architecture. !andela has 22


;nriHue !hao, LF-li$ &andela. una

Technical and theoretical $ritings

&acia una nueva filosofia de la estructuras,!ongresso 'cientifico

lu$ nel cora#on/ in !onstrucciKn y

Tecnologa

rivista

dellY7nstituto

(exicano del !emento y del

(exico -Formulas generales para el calculo de esfuerzos en paraboloides

!oncreto, (exico, dicembre +//1. *uan

Tonda

&andela/

hiperbolicos. A!7 -?/ ;n defensa del formalismo y otros escrittos , 9airat ;diciones, Iilbao

(agallPn

"F0li$

!O3A!)6TA, mexico

+/// 6orraine 6in, LF-li$ &andela. &reator de poetic structures )1)23

- 'tress Analysis for any &yperbolic 5araboloids Architectural 4ecord

)11* M, in 'tructure (agazine,

aprile +//?. *uan de &errera

"-#

4 F0li$ &andela, arquitecto.M

;diciKn de (. 'egu, (adridZ

!i"liograf%a&

Faber, !olin, "+as estructuras de

!;&O5) V -D.

&andela" , (xico, !ontinental ,

*osemara de !hurtichaga

-/ *uan 7gnacio

del

!ueto 4uiz

4 +a estructura velo# 5

Funes, F-li$ &andela, el mago de

Trayectorias estructurale a

los cascarones de concretoM, in

proposito de la obra de 6milio

ArHuine, rivista internacional de

7ere# 7inero y F-li$ &andela%/

arHuitectura, (exico, n.+, -

http:VVchHs.onexp.comVestudio.htm

'My greatest satisfaction $as to have performed some spectacular structures (###( "ut that he had proved that the construction of thin shells( not an e)traordinary underta*ing that immortali+ed its author( "ut a constructive process simple and fle)i"le ## ' ,di+ione -icem"re .//0

23

Felix Candela Costruttore di sogni 1uesta opera 2 pu""licata sotto Licen+a Creative Commons ttri"u+ione34on commerciale3Condividi allo stesso modo http&55creativecommons#org5licenses5"y3nc3sa5.#65deed#it

$$$#giovannardierontini#it

24

Felix-Candela-Builder-of-Dreams.pdf

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