Natural Architecture: Arches Around the Globe

Parabolic shapes did not enjoy a place in architectural history until the late 19th century, when they were extensively used by Anton Gaudí. The influence of Gaudí, together with the Rationalist theories of Viollet-le-Duc, can be traced first in the continuing attempts to evolve a new form of Gothic architecture, where the parabolic arch played a central role. Later engineer-architects, including Pier Luigi Nervi, Felix Candela, and Santiago Calatrava, attached a symbolic meaning to parabolic structures as the realization of the rational architecture sought after by Viollet-le-Duc, continuing the legacy of Gaudí’s revolutionary work.