Félix Candela

Born Jan. 27, 1910, in Madrid. Mexican architect and engineer.

In 1935, Candela graduated from the Higher School of Architecture in Madrid. He participated in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39 and emigrated to Mexico in 1939. Candela designed thin-shell reinforced-concrete roofs of various shapes, some of which are particularly unusual; for example, he developed thin-walled coverings in the form of hyperbolic paraboloids. His roof designs made possible the use of low-cost sheathing made out of straight boards. In collaboration with other architects, Candela constructed a number of industrial and commercial buildings, as well as several laboratories and churches. In 1954 he built the Church of the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal in Mexico, which is distinguished by its complex and irrational spatial structure.