Antonio Lamela, Architect 1926-2017

In commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the architect Antonio Lamela, his son Carlos Lamela de Vargas, an architect as well, honours with this book the legacy of one of the most important Spanish architects of the 20th C. Antonio Lamela was a visionary, innovative architect. His field of activity ranged from land use, urban planning, and architecture to landscaping, interior decoration, and furniture design, always informed by a holistic, multidisciplinary worldview. One of Antonio Lamela’s greatest contributions to Spanish architecture was the introduction of the “suspended structure” he used for the Colón towers (1967‒1977) in Madrid. These twin towers, built from the top down, hold the world record for the number of floor slabs hung from a single head beam or structural platform by means of prestressed concrete hangers along the perimeter. A tireless traveller and scholar, Antonio’s research into cutting-edge concrete construction systems inspired him to bring some of them to his own country: he established the first ready-mix concrete factories in Spain, and introduced the systems needed to precast special concrete pieces. As a humanist, his interest in the environment, energy, and ecology inspired him to create two intellectual doctrines that would ultimately give rise to two new organising sciences: Cosmoism and Geoism.