Santiago Calatrava Architect, Spain, Office, Spanish Architecture Studio, Design Images

Santiago Calatrava : Buildings

Arquitectura España : Contemporary Architecture Practice

Santiago Calatrava Architecture – Key Projects

Roundup of Santiago Calatrava’s Latest Projects:

This September, world-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava will unveil one of his most ambitious projects to date; the Liege-Guillemins High Speed Railway Station in Belgium.

Liège Guillemins station by Santiago Calatrava:
Liège Guillemins Station Santiago Calatrava Architecture
photo : Tim Freh

Designed by Calatrava in order to meet the demands of high-speed rail travel, the Railway Station is the first part of a planned architectural vision for a corporate center in Liege and is already asserting itself as a symbol for the city’s renewal. Upon its opening, the Liege-Guillemins Station will become the heart of the north European high-speed network. Linking England, France, Belgium and Germany (amongst others), the Station’s high-speed trains will shorten travel distances considerably, provide scenic alternatives for leisure travelers, enhance the efficiency of business travelers worldwide and cut costs for the corporations who used to rely on alternative (and more expensive) transportation means.

And with no intention of slowing down, Calatrava has numerous projects throughout cities worldwide. In December, Calatrava will introduce Dublin to the Samuel Beckett Bridge, which pays homage to the city and swings 90 degrees in the horizontal plane to allow ships to pass. In Valencia, the celebrated architect is gearing up to unveil The Agora, a multifunctional complex within Calatrava’s famed City of Arts and Science.

The Agora signifies the culmination of the City of Arts and Science, a 20-year design and building project that literally created a city from a vast wasteland and pays homage to the arts and sciences. In Calgary, Calatrava is working on The Peace Bridge, an enclosed footbridge, embedded as a sculptural (yet mathematically derived) element into a naturally landscaped surrounding.

He’s already celebrated in Europe and now Calatrava is quickly becoming a household name in the U.S. Not only was he commissioned to design the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan, but he’s also responsible for the design of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, which upon completion will provide a new icon for the skyline and assist with the city’s economic revitalization. Calatrava also recently signed on to design his first U.S.-based higher education building for the University of South Florida Polytechnic’s new campus.

A man ahead of his time, Calatrava understands the beauty and aesthetic of design, as well as the pragmatic implementation in how to make it work/function. While a painting can simply be beautiful, a bridge or a school also needs to be functional; and this is where Calatrava soars. To be both an architect and an engineer is rare, yet for Calatrava it’s been a seamless transition; as he is often praised for bridging the gap between the two art forms.

His conception of form and function has led to the completion of over 55 acclaimed bridges, transportation centers and educational buildings across the globe – each as visually stunning as they are efficient. His innovative projects and inspirational visions have impacted thousands of individuals on a global scale and will continue to do so.

Santiago Calatrava Architecture Information:

Santiago Calatrava Buildings : main page with project images

Santiago Calatrava Architect : Full List of Projects + Biography

Santiago Calatrava Projects

City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Spain
City of Arts and Sciences
image © Paul Zanre
City of Arts and Science Valencia

World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York City, USA

Santiago Calatrava has designed the Transport Interchange on the site, with an arching skeletal form similar to that used in his French interchange – the Lyon-Satolas TGV Station.
WTC New York : World Trade Center Transportation Hub

Santiago Calatrava
RIBA Architecture exhibition 1992 : Santiago Calatrava, architect, on right

BCE Place, Gallery and Heritage Square, 161/181 Bay St, lower Toronto, Canada

The interior has become a key Calatrava image with its row of bonelike tall arches supporting a glazed atrium.

Calatrava Architecture exhibition Santiago Calatrava exhibition RIBA Calatrava Exhibition Calatrava exhibition
RIBA Santiago Calatrava Architecture exhibition – various building models, photographs © Isabelle Lomholt

Santiago Calatrava bridge – Trinity Bridge Manchester
Santiago Calatrava bridge
photo © Matthew Ansell

Featured Buildings

Calatrava bridge project in Barcelona, Spain:
Santiago Calatrava bridge project
bridge image © Thomas Boczko

Montjuic Communications Tower building, Barcelona:
Santiago Calatrava building
photo © Adrian Welch

Key Santiago Calatrava Buildings

PTT Postal Center, Luzern, Switzerland 1985
Bac de Roda Felipe II Bridge, Barcelona, Spain 1987
Station Hall, Luzern, Switzerland 1989
Stadelhofen Station, Zurich, Switzerland 1990
Alamillo Bridge, Seville, Spain 1992
Montjuic Tower, Barcelona, Spain 1992
BCE Place, Toronto, Canada 1992
Lyon-Satolas Airport Railway Station, France 1994
Trinity Bridge, Manchester, England 1995
Bohl Bus / Tram Stop, St Gallen, Switzerland 1996
Emergency Services Center, St Gallen, Switzerland 1998
Oriente Station, Lisbon, Portugal 1998
Puente de la Mujer, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2001
Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin, USA 2001

More Buildings / Bridges by architect Santiago Calatrava online soon

Milwaukee Art Museum – Quadracci Pavilion + Reiman Bridge, Milwaukee, USA

Extension to War Memorial by Eero Saarinen

The Fordham Spire Chicago – 400 North Lake Shore Drive

To become the tallest tower in the USA : Chicago Spire

Calatrava Bridges

The three bridges at Haarlemmermeer are called Harp, Cittern and Lute and span the main canal. The James Joyce Bridge is for pedestrians and crosses over the River Liffey in Dublin. The Trinity Bridge (featured) is a footbridge over the River Irwell between Salford and Manchester. The Alameda Bridge is in Valencia. Finally, the Piazzale Roma Footbridge crosses the Grand Canal in Venice.

Milwaukee Art Museum – Quadracci Pavilion + Reiman Bridge, Milwaukee
Extension to War Memorial by Eero Saarinen

Communications Tower, Montjuic, Barcelona
1991
Communications Tower
Barcelona building: image © Adrian Welch
Key early Santiago Calatrava building: The Montjuic Tower is 136m high and very stylised like many Calatrava buildings. It could be read as a piece of sculpture carved from pure white marble, or as half a dough-ring speared by a bloated toothpick. Admirers of architect Santiago Calatrava will no doubt enjoy its bonelike scultping and poetic expression.

More projects online soon

Location: Valencia, Spain

Calatrava Practice Information

Santiago Calatrava Valls
born 1951 in Valencia, Spain

Calatrava – Education
Architecture School and Arts and Crafts School, Valencia, Spain
Graduated 1975

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland
Civil engineering graduate

Calatrava – key influences
Le Corbusier’s Chapel Notre Dame du Haut
Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia
Anthropomorphic structures – animal / plant skeletal patterns

Santiago set up architectural practice in 1981.

Spanish Architecture

Contemporary Architecture in Spain – architectural selection below:

Casa CB, Sabadell, Catalunya
Architects: Alventosa Morell Arquitectes
Casa CB Sabadell, Catalunya property

GV House, Vinylos and the Arcs, Catalonia, Northeast Spain
Architecture: Alventosa Morell Arquitectes
GV House, Vinylos and the Arcs, Catalonia

La Pobla de Vallbona Social Center, Valencian Community, eastern Spain
Architect: Alberto Facundo
La Pobla de Vallbona Social Center in Valencia

Barcelona Architecture

Modern Architects

Photos © Adrian Welch / Isabelle Lomholt

Architecture Studios

Buildings / photos for the Santiago Calatrava Architecture page welcome.