Felix Candela
From Archiplanet
| Felix Candela | |
| Born | 1910; Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 1997; |
| Notes | |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/architects/Felix_Candela.html |
Contents |
[edit] Works
- Los Manantiales, at Xochimilco, Mexico, 1958. Archiplanet page GreatBuildings page
[edit] Discussion
(b. Madrid, Spain 1910; d. 1997)
Felix Candela was born in Madrid in 1910. He entered Madrid's Escuela Superior de Arquitrectura in 1927 and graduated in 1935. Sidetracked by his political struggle against Franco, he did not practice architecture until he emigrated to Mexico in 1939.
Candella believed that strength should come from form not mass. This belief led to an extensive exploration of tensile shell structures. His nickname became "The Shell Builder" because of this structural favoritism.
Frequently forced to act as architect, structural engineer and contractor in order to further his work, Candella sees architects as engineers who possess the ability to design both great cathedrals and low cost housing.
References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p35.
