Technology in modern architecture, concrete shell structures in Guatemala

Abstract

Reinforced concrete shells enter the national scene thanks to the intervention of Engineer Mauricio Castillo Contoux, whose interest in this constructive typology leads him to associate with the Spanish architect Félix Candela, founder of the Mexican company "Cubiertas Ala S.A." which is responsible for commercializing these types of concrete roofs, so that they create the company "Cubiertas Ala de Guatemala" which would be an extension of the Mexican company to serve the Central American market.

 The development of this type of roofing entails a strong demand for wood in order to achieve surface curvatures with straight segments, while strict quality control is required during execution in order to seek the pure expression of concrete in a monolithic structure and so the company of Mauricio Castillo acquires the necessary experience to execute more than forty projects throughout Central America.

 Concrete shells required a formless formwork design in our country, which may well be the object of innovation, which is the reason to carry out an analysis of the construction process that this typology required.