The Chapel of the Palafoxian Major Seminary of Puebla. Architectural-Structural Expression of the 20th Century

Abstract

This paper includes an analysis of the Chapel of the Palafoxian Major Seminary in Puebla, dating from 1964. The chapel now serves mainly to seminarians, although some-times it is used for external celebrations. The object of the present text to describe the relationship between the geometric solution and the structural design based on hyperbolic paraboloids materialized in reinforced concrete shells. The design and architectural expressions are completed by stained glass windows, work of Fernando Rodríguez Lago. The methodology used includes literature review about concrete shell buildings in different lati-tudes, field visits and interviews with key actors involved in the materializa-tion of the Palafoxiano Seminary building. The main objective is to show the building as a way of conceiving religious spaces in the 20th century.