F%C3%A9lix Candela

Flix Candela Outerio was SpanishMexican architect known for his significant role in the development of Mexican architecture and structural engineering. Candelas major contribution to architecture was the development of thin shells made out of reinforced concrete, popularly known as cascarones. Flix Candela died at the age of 87 in 1997 in North Carolina.

Felix Candela was born in Madrid, Spain in 1910. In 1927 Candela enrolled in La Escuela Superior de Arquitectura , graduating in 1935 at which time Candela traveled to Germany to further study architecture. Early after he started classes, he developed a very keen sense of geometry and started teaching other students in private lessons. In his junior year, his visual intelligence and his descriptive geometric and trigonometric talent helped him catch the eye of Luis Vegas. Vegas was his material strength professor, and gave Candela the honorary title of Luis Vegas Helper. While helping Vegas, Candela entered many architecture competitions and won most of them. Unlike many of his peers, Candela didnt show intellectual or aesthetic efforts in school. He didnt even like pure mathematics. When Candela was a student in Madrid, the schools taught the theory of elasticity where Candela assisted the professors and even tutored other students.

Source: Wikipedia