In this third segment of the interview, Alexander Eisenschmidt examines Félix Candela’s landmark church Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal as a turning point in the architect’s vision of “full design”—a complete integration of structural logic and spatial experience. Drawing from Candela’s 1954 lecture The Shell as Space Enclosure, Eisenschmidt traces how Candela challenged engineering orthodoxy by introducing curvature, experimentation, and everyday materials into the architectural repertoire. The discussion weaves together insights from Nader Tehrani, Catherine O’Rourke, and others who reflect on the church’s material immediacy and spatial elegance. From Reyner Banham’s notion of a structural revolution to Candela’s own critique of conventional concrete use, the interview reveals how Candela’s shells weren’t just technical feats but deeply atmospheric, collective spaces that dissolved the boundary between engineering and architecture.
