L'Oceanogràfic - Félix Candela

Other - Video, 2018

This video is capturing the concrete shell structure by Felix Candela at Oceanographic in Valencia. The structure was designed quite close to his passing in 1997. The structure is very similar to Candela's the Los Manantiales Restaurant, built in Mexico City in the 1950s. The structure is made from four hyperbolic paraboloids intersecting each-other, creating this octagonal shape in plan. The hyperbolic paraboloid is a "doubly ruled" surface meaning that one can describe these surfaces through straight lines. This can be very beneficial in designing the form-work for complex shapes like this one using straight wooden planks. This video is part of a collection of videos where masonry and shell structures are documented and captured using motion pictures instead of stills to capture architectural qualities and experiences such as materiality, light and space. The project is funded by ARQ research fund.