international association for shell and spatial structures



Eduardo TORROJA y MIRET

(1899-1961)
Founding President 1959-61

 
In September 1959, the world-famous structural engineer Eduardo Torroja organized and convened an International Colloquium on Shell Structures in Madrid.  During this Colloquium, Professor Torroja proposed the founding of the International Association for Shell Structures (IASS), because at that time shell structures were frequently used all over the world to roof buildings of all sorts, e.g., sports facilities, exhibition halls and industrial plants, as well as to fulfill industrial purposes through such structures as tanks, silos and cooling towers.  He wanted to create a platform where the top scientists, designers and constructors of the world would meet and exchange their ideas and experiences.  There should be regular meetings, correspondence and a bulletin published regularly.  The distinguished group of designers and engineers at the colloquium enthusiastically accepted his proposal, and the IASS was born with Prof. Torroja as both the inspiration and the founding president.

More information about the man, his projects and the founding of the IASS is in the IASS 50th Jubilee Book, Fifty Years of Progress for Shell and Spatial Structures, Chapter 1: “The Founding of the IASS: Eduardo Torroja and the Context Until 1959,” that can be ordered by selecting here.

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Eduardo Torroja
Photo credit CEHOPU Archivos J.A. Torroja Oficina Tecnica

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