Santiago Calatrava

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Santiago Calatrava (born July 28, 1951) is a Spanish architect whose work has become increasingly popular worldwide.

Calatrava was born in Valencia, Spain, where he pursued undergraduate studies at the Architecture School and Arts and Crafts School. Following graduation in 1975, he enrolled in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Switzerland for graduate work in civil engineering. Calatrava was influenced by the French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose Notre Dame du Haut chapel caused Calatrava to examine how complex form could be understood and generated in architecture. In 1981 after completing his doctoral thesis, "On the Foldability of Space Frames", he started his architecture and engineering practice.

Calatrava's unique, creative, and highly influential style combines a striking visual architectural style that interacts harmoniously with the rigid principles of engineering. His work often draws on form and structure found in the natural world, and can be described as anthropomorphic. His works have elevated the design of some civil engineering projects such as bridges to new heights. He has designed numerous train stations, heralded for their bright, open, and easily-traveled spaces.

While he is primarily known as an architect, Calatrava is also a prolific sculptor and painter, claiming that the practice of architecture combines all the arts into one.

Calatrava's first United States work was the Quadracci Pavilion addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum.

One of his newest projects is a residential skyscraper named "80 South Street" after its own address, composed of 10 townhouses in the shape of cubes stacked on top of one another. The townhouses move up a main beam and follow a ladder-like pattern, providing each townhouse with its own roof. The "townhouse in the sky" design has attracted a high profile clientele, willing to pay the hefty US$30 million for each cube. It will be built in New York City's financial district facing the East River.

He has also designed the Fordham Spire, a proposed skyscraper to be built in Chicago.

Calatrava has also designed three bridges that will eventually span the Trinity River in Dallas, the first of which will commence construction in December, 2005. When completed (target date 2010), Dallas will join the Dutch city of Haarlemmermeer in having three Calatrava bridges.

His nephew Alex Calatrava is a professional tennis player.

1 Notable works
- 1.1 Completed
- 1.2 Under construction/Proposed
2 See also
3 Awards
4 Exhibits
5 External links
6 References

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Notable works

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Completed

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Trinity Bridge, footbridge over River Irwell, Salford, England
Oberbaumbrücke, Berlin, Germany
Alameda Bridge and metro station, Valencia, Spain
1983-1984, Jakem Steel Warehouse, Munchwilen, Switzerland
1983-1985, Ernsting Warehouse, Coesfeld, Germany
1983-1988, Wohlen High School, Wohlen, Switzerland
1983-1990, Stadelhofen Railway Station, Zürich, Switzerland
1983-1989, Lucerne Station Hall, Lucerne, Switzerland
1984-1987, Bach de Roda Felipe II Bridge, Barcelona, Spain
1984-1988, Barenmatte Community Center, Suhr, Switzerland,
1986-1987, Tabourettli Theater, Basel, Switzerland,
1987-1992, BCE Place, Toronto, Canada,
1989-1994, TGV Station, Lyon, France
1992, Puente del Alamillo, Seville, Spain
1992, Montjuic Communications Tower at the Montjuïc Olympic Plaza, Barcelona, Spain
1992, World's Fair, Kuwaiti Pavilion, Seville, Spain
1994-1997, Campo Volantin Footbridge, Bilbao, Spain
1996, Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia, Spain
1998, Estação do Oriente or (Gare do Oriente), Lisbon, Portugal
1998, Puente de la Mujer, in the Puerto Madero barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina
2000, New terminal at Bilbao Airport, Bilbao, Spain
2001, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
2003, James Joyce Bridge, bridge over River Liffey, Dublin, Ireland
2004, redesign of Athens Olympic Sports Complex, Athens, Greece
2004, Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California, USA
2004, Three bridges (called Harp, Cittern and Lute) spanning the main canal of the Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
2004, University of Zurich, "Bibliothekseinbau" library remodelling, Zürich, Switzerland
2005, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

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Under construction/Proposed

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World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York City, USA
Atlanta Symphony Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
TGV Train Station, Liège, Belgium
Palacio de Congresos, Oviedo, Spain
Fordham Spire, Chicago, USA
Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, Dallas, Texas, USA
City Entrance Bridge, also known as 'Strings Bridge' Jerusalem, Israel

Calatrava has also submitted designs for a number of notable projects which were eventually awarded to other designers, including the Reichstag in Berlin and the East London River Crossing. The East London River Crossing, in particular, was a very elegant and bold design which was considered by most to be a far more worthy design to the one actually built.

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