Architect and engineer · Mexico · 1910-1997
Félix Candela Biography, Buildings and Best Books
Spanish-Mexican architect and builder (1910-1997) whose thin concrete hyperbolic paraboloid shells, from the Cosmic Rays Pavilion to Los Manantiales, are masterpieces of structural art.
Photo: Noahedits, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Biography
Félix Candela (1910-1997) was a Spanish-born Mexican architect and builder best known for his thin reinforced concrete shells shaped as hyperbolic paraboloids. Working in Mexico from 1939, he designed and built hundreds of light, elegant roofs, from the Cosmic Rays Pavilion at the National University and the Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to the restaurant Los Manantiales in Xochimilco, combining mathematical precision with economical construction.
Madrid and exile
Candela was born in Madrid in 1910 and studied architecture at the Madrid School of Architecture, graduating in 1935, with a strong interest in mathematics and shell structures. He fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War and, after its defeat, went into exile in Mexico in 1939, where he became a Mexican citizen.
Cubiertas Ala and the Cosmic Rays Pavilion
In 1950 Candela and his brother Antonio founded the construction company Cubiertas Ala, which designed and built shell roofs for factories, warehouses, markets and churches. The Cosmic Rays Pavilion at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (1951), a laboratory roof only about 1.5 centimetres thick, made his name.
Churches and Los Manantiales
The Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Mexico City (1955), with its twisted shell vaults, the open chapel at Lomas de Cuernavaca (1958) and Los Manantiales restaurant in Xochimilco (1958), an eight-lobed shell like a flower floating by the water, are among his most celebrated works. He also built the roofs of the Jamaica market and many industrial buildings.
The Palacio de los Deportes and later life
For the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Candela designed with Antonio Peyri and Enrique Castañeda the Palacio de los Deportes, with its copper-clad dome. In 1971 he moved to the United States, where he taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago and worked as a consultant. He died in Durham, North Carolina, in 1997. His designs for L’Oceanogràfic in Valencia were completed in 2003.
Félix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist
Written with the Princeton structural engineer David Billington, this 208-page study explains how Candela designed and built his shells, with drawings, photographs and analysis.
View on Amazon
Timeline
- 1910Born on 27 January in Madrid.
- 1935Graduates from the Madrid School of Architecture.
- 1939Goes into exile in Mexico.
- 1950Founds Cubiertas Ala with his brother Antonio.
- 1951Completes the Cosmic Rays Pavilion at UNAM.
- 1955Completes the Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
- 1958Completes Los Manantiales in Xochimilco and the open chapel at Lomas de Cuernavaca.
- 1961Receives the Auguste Perret Prize.
- 1968Completes the Palacio de los Deportes for the Mexico City Olympics.
- 1971Moves to the United States.
- 1997Dies on 7 December in Durham, North Carolina.
- 2003L’Oceanogràfic, based on his design, opens in Valencia.
Best Books on Félix Candela
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Félix Candela known for?
Félix Candela is known for thin reinforced concrete shells in the form of hyperbolic paraboloids, such as the Cosmic Rays Pavilion, the Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Los Manantiales restaurant in Mexico City.
What are Félix Candela’s most famous buildings?
His best-known works include the Cosmic Rays Pavilion at UNAM, the Church of La Milagrosa, the open chapel at Lomas de Cuernavaca, Los Manantiales in Xochimilco, the Palacio de los Deportes and L’Oceanogràfic in Valencia.
What is the best book on Félix Candela?
Félix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist by Maria Moreyra Garlock and David Billington (Yale University Press) is the best study of his structures. Félix Candela: From Mexico City to Chicago (Actar) adds recent research.
What is Félix Candela’s architectural style?
Candela’s work is structural expressionism in concrete: very thin curved shells, especially hyperbolic paraboloids, whose geometry gives them strength and allows dramatic, light forms with little material.
Where can I see Félix Candela’s architecture?
In Mexico City you can see the Cosmic Rays Pavilion at UNAM, the Church of La Milagrosa in Narvarte, Los Manantiales in Xochimilco and the Palacio de los Deportes. L’Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain, is open to visitors.
