Mexico / Spain, 1955
Felix Candela
Completed in 1955, the “Iglesia de la Medalla Milagrosa,” or Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, was completed in ten months. The Structure of the church is a combination of warped surfaces, all of them paraboloids with the usual thickness of 1 1/2 inches or less except for the small side chapel. The church committee wanted a traditional design (Gothic style) and did not suspect they might be getting something else until the forms were up.
The plan is very unpretentious, and the only innovation made by the architect was the Structure. Candela was especially struck by the opportunity to design a church, because its single floor, great height, and particular function provided him with the chance to create “something transcendent.” The architect wanted to push the boundaries of reinforced concrete to its limits. In this respect, the church is genuinely Gothic.
The interior of Milagrosa is the most beautiful part of the church because Candela insisted that while the exterior of a church is primarily for inviting people in, the interior is the crucial expressive feature of the building.
Candela used a similar construction procedure to his other structures for Milagrosa, including the use of inverted umbrellas as the foundation for his forms. However, the formwork for Milagrosa differs somewhat from that of Candela’s other shells. When hyperbolic paraboloids are designed with small warping, the form boards can provide adequate curvature so that straight boards can be used. —ARCHEYES
via ON SOMETHING