Eduardo Torroja and Cerámica Armada

Abstract

The Spanish engineer Eduardo Torroja Miret (1889-1961) was one of the leading structural designers of the 20th century. Torroja's extraordinary work includes two of the most significant thin shells in reinforced concrete: the market hall of Algeciras (1933) and the roof of the Zarzuela Hippodrome in Madrid (1935). (Fernandez and Navarro 1999; Billington 1985) Though Torroja is better known for his work in thin shells of reinforced concrete, he pioneered numerous ideas in construction during his long career. One of his most significant ideas, construction in reinforced brick, or ceramica armada, has not received significant attention from historians of construction