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the design and construction of thin tensile concrete shells. Because this was a new way of building, Candela acted as architect, structural engineer, and contractor, even trainingthe construction workers himself. He began building beautiful churches such as Medalla de la Virgen Milagrosa (1953-1955), Nuestra Senora de la Soledad Chapel (1955), and San JoseObrero (1959), all in Mexico City, and the Open Chapel in Lomas de Cuernavaca (1958) (Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats, By Donald Langmead, Christine Garnaut, Page 304).Can¬dela did most of his work in Mex¬ico through¬out the 1950s and into the late 60s. He was re¬spon¬si¬ble for more than 300 works and 900 projects in this time pe¬riod.

Many ofCandela's larger projects were given to him by the Mex¬i¬can gov¬ern¬ment, such The Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats asserts, "The roofs and sometimes the walls ofCandela's shell structures are noteworthy for their seamless concrete construction, often only 1.07 inches (4 centimeters) thick. Candela stated, 'It is the shape that matters.' Heinsisted that 'the shell must be stable and of a shape which permits an easy way to work. It should be as symmetrical as possible because this simplifies its behavior' (Faber 1963,199). To this end, he frequently made use of the hyperbolic paraboloid, a form that made the construction of timber formwork easy because it is generated only from straight lines. Thebest example can be found in Los Manantiales Restaurant of 1958 in Xochimilco near Mexico City; the thin concrete shell structure that encloses its radial plan is based on eighthyperbolic paraboloid segments. Critics have remarked that in Candela's work both design and structure have been sharpened to the finest edge, imparting 'a new dynamism' to architecture."