Esoteric Survey

Félix Candela: High Life Textile Factory, Coyoacan, Mexico City 1955 The facility made suits for a retail men's store called High Life. The store is still in existence but the building was later Cavalier Fashion and now appears to be vacant. The building made the cover of Arts & Architecture in May 1956. There is an article on Candela but this building isn't discussed. During construction. I was able to poke my phone through one of the few sections of window that wasn't covered by a board.  It's very nondescript from the exterior.  It's located near Frida's Casa Azul.

 Iglesia de la Medalla de la Virgen Milagrosa by Félix Candela (1955) in Mexico City The modernist gothic structure is a showcase of Candela's use of thin-shelled concrete construction.   The thickness of  the hyperbolic paraboloid shells in the main building is 1.5 inches or less. Candela worked with fellow architects, Arturo Sanz de la Calzada and Pedro Fernandez Miret. Source: Candela, the shell builder, 1963 I believe this is the patron saint of the hyperbolic paraboloid Source: Candela, the shell builder, 1963 For the souls Cue up Led Zeppelin

Palacio de los Deportes (1968)  by Félix Candela, Antonio Peyrí Maciá, and Enrique Castañeda Tamborell It's visible from the air when flying into Mexico City. I stopped by on my ride back to the airport. The construction of the Palacio de los Deportes began in 1966 and was completed in 1968. Just in time for the 1968 Olympics. I wish they kept the Lance Wyman sign up.  The geodesic roof is covered in copper.  Nuccio Bertone designed Lancia Stratos HF Zero (1970) The future is always better in the past.

"El Altillo" or Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (1955) by  Felix Candela and Enrique De La Mora Located in Coyoacán, Mexico City Candela was the master of the thin-shelled concrete hyperbolic paraboloid. The stained glass was designed by Kitzia Hoffman The sculpture of the Virgin Mary on the altar is by Herbert Hoffman

Los Manantiales by Felix Candela, in Mexico City The restaurant was designed by the Spanish-born architect in 1958. The structure, comprised of four thin-shelled concrete hyperbolic paraboloids, is referred to as "la flor" (the flower) by the locals in Xochimilco. I spoke to the lady who runs the restaurant. She said the building was just awarded some sort of historical designation, but the government doesn't offer any funding for restoration. The mosaic mural on the wall in front of the building shows the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, which are just behind the restaurant. Groups rent boats and have parties as they're taken through the canals. Smaller boats pull up and offer drinks and snacks for sale. I hired my own boat and went solo. I guess that doesn't happen often. I was getting a lot of funny looks, or maybe they just felt bad for me. How else was I going to get this view? Los Manantiales is  abo...