Architecture CodeX #86 La Concha Motel, Las Vegas by Paul Revere Williams

AND ARCHITECT PAUL R WILLIAMS: Architecture Codex looks for the influential shell design for a motel lobby and the legacy of its architect Paul R Williams, the first licensed African American architect in California.
#architecture #architecturedesign #architects #architecturelovers #architecturalheritage #architecturehistory #laconchamotel #laconcha #lasvegas #lasvegastrip #lasvegaslife #lasvegasarchitecture #PaulRWilliams #PaulRevereWilliams #paulwilliams #molinelli
0:00
0:33 skip intro Finding La Concha Motel
1:48 The Shell Structure of the Lobby
2:49 Architect Paul Revere Williams
4:17 Segregation
5:33 Formative Years of Paul Revere Williams
6:15 Drawing "Upside Down"
9:56 Inspiration and History and La Concha Motel

[@liori3770]

Comments, as always… 1. We have discussed thin shell structures in Arch. Codex before, one of my personal favourite types of buildings. I cannot recall on which episode - maybe the JFK Saarinen one. One thing worth mentioning about hyperbolic paraboloids is that despite the seemingly complex wavy shape, it could be achieved before CAD days, since the construction solely relies on straight elements. 2. I would argue one cannot mention this Vegas hotel, without mentioning Felix Candela. If I am not mistaken, and although this is a bold claim to make, I reckon he was one of the main architects to widespread introduce thin shell structures, and especially this lovely flowery design. 3. One proof Molinelli is an old soul? At 3m35sec you claim that a black and a female architect were not acknowledged at their time, due to their architectural style. If only you were more up to date, you would claim it is all due to systemic suppression, or something similar. How nice it is to still hear a voice of reason. 4. Great architect I never heard of. Thanks for introducing him! As always, keep up the splendid work!

[@architecturecodex9818]

All good points - TWA was ACX#1!!!! And we reported that it is considered double cantilever rather than a shell... and yes, I should have mentioned Felix Candela. Glad we could both help spread the Gospel of good architecture!

[@liori3770]

@architecturecodex9818 hmm... I guess both terms should work simultaneously. I didn't think about it until you mentioned it now, but do you mean that the building uses a counter cantilever to balance itself? I can notice it on some of Candela's work. As a matter of fact, during my studies I experimented with cantilevered thin shells, and indeed, balancing the structure gracefully was a challenge. One wouldn't want to ruin the lightness of the structure with bulky anchoring points. Oh... and insulation-wise, these shells are practically impossible to build anymore, at least not as an enclosed space.