Calatrava, Santiago << kal uh TRAH vah, san tee AH goh >> (1951-…), is a Spanish architect known for his imaginative structures that blend cutting-edge engineering techniques with striking sculptural designs. Calatrava often adapts natural forms, such as bird wings and animal skeletons, into abstract and stylized structures. His projects have been praised for their creative use of concrete, glass, and steel.
Calatrava is particularly known for his elegant designs for bridges. He believes that bridges should complement and beautify their surroundings. He first gained recognition for the Bach de Roda Bridge in Barcelona, Spain, built for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. His other notable bridges include the Alamillo Bridge (1992) for the World’s Fair in Seville, Spain; the Alameda Bridge (1995) in Valencia; the Campo Volantin Footbridge (1997) in Bilbao, Spain; the James Joyce Bridge (2003) and the Samuel Beckett Bridge (2009) in Dublin, Ireland; the Chords Bridge (2008) in Jerusalem; and the Peace Bridge in Calgary, Canada, and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas (both 2012).
In addition to bridges, Calatrava has designed many other types of structures. They include exhibition halls, sports facilities, railroad stations, airports, and residential and commercial buildings. Most of Calatrava’s projects have been built in western Europe, but he has also executed important commissions in the United States and Canada.
Calatrava’s first project in the United States was the expansion of the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2001. One of his most praised projects is the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City, which opened in 2016. He also created the Sundial Bridge (2004) in Redding, California. In Canada, he designed BCE Place (1992) in Toronto.
In Europe, Calatrava designed the station for high-speed trains called trains à grande vitesse or TGV (1994) at the Lyon Airport Station in France; an opera house and performing arts center (2005) in Valencia, Spain; and the “Twisting Tower” residential skyscraper (2005) in Malmö, Sweden. Calatrava also created the Athens Olympic Sports Complex for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece.
Calatrava was born in Valencia on July 28, 1951. He studied architecture and urban planning in Valencia from 1969 to 1974 and then studied civil engineering in Zurich, Switzerland, from 1975 to 1979. Calatrava opened his first architecture office in Zurich in 1981. He quickly gained an international reputation for his bold structural forms and unconventional engineering.
