Villanueva, Carlos Raul

Born May 30, 1900, in Croydon, England. Venezuelan architect. Studied at the National Fine Arts School in Paris (graduating in 1928) and worked in Venezuela after 1929.

At first Villanueva sought to revive the architectural traditions of the colonial period, but later he became one of the leading exponents of modern architecture in Latin America. He built a university town in Caracas (begun in 1944), including a stadium (1950), a large auditorium (1952), a covered square (1952), and other structures notable for the boldness and artistic expressiveness of their structural systems (ferroconcrete frames and thin shell roofs), dynamic expressiveness of design, and a broad use of sculpture, painting, and mosaics. Housing complexes designed by Villanueva in Caracas (El Paraiso, 1952-54; 23rd of January, 1955-1957, in cooperation with J. M. Mijares, J. M. Cepero, and others) consist of functionally conceived apartments and terraces, marked by simplicity and distinctiveness, with frame-and-panel houses of different heights.