The Pursuit for New Structural Forms: Eduardo Torroja and Frei Otto

• Autores: María Josefa Cassinello Plaza, José Antonio Torroja Cavanillas
• Localización: Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, ISSN-e 1996-9015, ISSN 1028-365X, Vol. 59, Nº. 1, 2018 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Special Issue on Frei Otto), págs. 34-42
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Despite the wide span in time and the obvious differences that separated their respective oeuvres, Eduardo Torroja (1889-1961) and Frei Otto (1925-2015) shared the conviction that the road to innovation is charted by research and experimentation. Walking that road, both acquired the expertise needed to build new structural forms: Torroja, reinforced concrete thin shells and Otto, lightweight structures. The success of their innovative works laid the grounds for their repute as key figures in the history of twentieth century civil and architectural construction.

    Their legacies are not confined to a series of innovations, however. Their leadership skills prompted them to found international institutions that played a prominent role in the development of thin shells and lightweight structures. Eduardo Torroja founded the IASS, the International Association for Shell Structures, in 1959 and Frei Otto the IL, the Institut für leichte Flächentragwerke (Institute for Lightweight Structures, University of Stuttgart) in 1964.