Santiago Calatrava, the Greatest Spanish Architect of the 21st Century

Born 28 July 1951

The greatest Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer Santiago Calatrava Valls was born in Valencia. Regarded as one of the most reputed designers, engineers and architects of the world, Calatrava’s principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland and has presence in Paris, Valencia, and New York City. Calatrava is also a prolific painter who exhibited his artistic work, entitled “Santiago Calatrava in 2003, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Some of his notable creations are as follows:

Zürich Stadelhofen railway station

The Local railway station ‘Zürich Stadelhofen’ in the city of Zurich has the historical significance; and was re-constructed in the 1990s by Santiago Calatrava Valls. Zürich Stadelhofen is quite close to the Zurich Opera House and the Bellevue Square. The station and surrounding areas were planned with the combination of fancy modern art with striking touch of antique architectural style.

Auditorio de Tenerife

The Auditorio de Tenerife is situated on the Avenue of the Constitution in the Canarian capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The project started in 1997 and completed in 2003. The building is situated in 23,000 m² plots and the auditorium resides in a 6471 m² plot. The main hall’s top is adorned by a dome, and it seats 1,616 in an amphitheater.

Puente del Alamillo

The Alamillo Bridge, which is located in Seville, Andalucia in Spain, was planned in 1989 as part of the infrastructure improvements for Expo 92 and accomplished in 1992. The bridge was built with the intention of creating two symmetrical bridges on either side of the island, and ended up constructing singular design that proved most striking and effective.

Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is situated on the Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was inaugurated for the public visit on May 4, 2001. Its unique architectural design earned Calatrava international fame and recognition. The museum has a movable, wing-like brise soleil which has 217 feet wingspan during the day and at night it folds over the tall.

The museum has housed more than 25,000 art works including significant collection of 19th-century and 20th-century artwork, American decorative arts, nation’s best collections of German Expressionism, folk and Haitian art, and post-1960 American art. The museum has a great number of works of Georgia O’Keeffe, the German Expressionist, Gabriele Münter and works of European painters including Ferdinand Bol, Nardo di Cione, Jan Swart Van Groningen, Francesco Botticini, Jan Goyen, Hendrick Van Vliet, Franz Von Lenbach, Bougereau, Camille Pissarro, Gerome, Gustave Caillebotte and many more.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències or “City of Arts and Sciences” is an entertainment-based cultural complex in Valencia, Spain and was inaugurated on April 16, 1998. It is called to be the most beautiful architectural design that represents the beauty and significance of city Valencia. Today, Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències attracts millions of tourists from across the globe.

Gare do Oriente or Lisbon Orient Station

Gare do Oriente or Lisbon Orient Station, one of the primary transport hubs in Lisbon, Portugal, was completed in 1998 for the Expo ’98 world’s fair. Gare do Oriente, located in Parque das Nações, is one of the world’s largest stations with 75 million passengers every year. It comprises of a Lisbon Metro station, provincial train hub, a high-speed, commuter, a shopping centre, national and international bus station, as well as a police station. Oriente Station is one of the world’s largest stations, with 75 million passengers per year which makes it as busy as Grand Central Terminal in New York.

HSB Turning Torso

The tallest skyscraper of Sweden HSB Turning Torso, was opened on 27 August 2005. In 2005, it was the tallest residential building in the EU, the tallest building in Scandinavia, and the second highest residential building in Europe.

The Zubizuri or Campo Volantin Bridge

The Zubizuri is a curved footbridge across the Nervion River in Bilbao, Spain and connects the Campo Volantin right bank and Uribitarteleft bank of the river. It is also known as the Puente del Campo Volantin or the Campo Volantin Bridge. Since its inauguration, it has been internationally acclaimed and has become a favorite tourist destination.

Jerusalem Chords Bridge

The Jerusalem Chords Bridge, which is also known as the Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge, at the entrance to the city of Jerusalem, Israel was inaugurated on June 25, 2008. The bridge, which is used by Jerusalem Light Rail’s Red Line, is a glass-sided pedestrian bridge to cross from Kiryat Moshe to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.

Source of Photographs and Information: Wikipedia