14 Stunning Structures by Santiago Calatrava
Photo: Calle Montes/Getty Images1/14Santiago Calatrava—known for his gleaming white, sky-high designs—has captivated the globe with soaring structural feats since he began designing modern architecture as a student in Valencia, Spain. His style has been described as distinctly neo-Futurist for its innovative use of materials and sleek, forward-thinking aesthetic. But Calatrava’s artistic sensibility hasn’t been limited strictly to architecture—he is also an accomplished sculptor and painter, creating a body of work on a smaller scale that, in turn, informs his fluid, dreamlike buildings. While his oeuvre spans many kinds of structures, his commitment to building inspiring civic spaces—from bridges to train stations to cultural arenas—and his seamless integration of architectural design and structural engineering have earned him numerous awards, including an appointment to the Pontifical Council of Culture in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI. As his much-anticipated World Trade Center Transportation Hub (a.k.a. the Oculus) opens to the public this week, Architectural Digest has put together a collection of his most recognized architectural achievements.
Shown: Calatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences is a cultural complex in Valencia, Spain, with seven distinct structures: L’Umbracle, a promenade with native plants meant to serve as the entrance to the City; L’Hemesifèric, an eye-shaped cinema, planetarium, and laserium; El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, a science museum whose structure mimics a whale skeleton; L’Oceanogràfic, an open-air aquarium; El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, an opera house with a distinctive featherlike arch; El Pont de l’Assut de l’Or, a suspension bridge; and L'Àgora, an arena for sporting events and concerts.
Photo: Buena Vista Images/Getty Images2/14Gare do Oriente (Lisbon Oriente Station) was completed in 1998 as the mass transit hub of Portugal’s capital city, serving 75 million people per year—about the same as Grand Central Station in New York. Inspired by Gothic architecture, the latticed glass-and-steel canopy forms the most recognizable part of the station, which some liken to trees.
Photo: Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty Images3/14Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana, a high-speed train station in Reggio Emilia, Italy, opened in 2013. Made with white-painted steel and glass, the undulating structure forms a shape called a sinusoidal curve.
Photo: Chris Mellor/Getty Images4/14The winglike brise-soleil of the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin has become the most iconic part of the museum’s identity since it was completed in 2001. The “wings” close over the structure at night or during inclement weather, shielding patrons as well as the vast collection of artwork below.
Photo: Eduardo Garcia/Getty Images5/14Jutting out over Brazil’s Guanabara Bay, the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) was completed in 2015. Located in Rio de Janeiro, the science museum includes exhibits that encourage patrons to think about humanity and sustainability.
Photo: John Freeman/Getty Images6/14Connecting Sir John Robertson’s Quay and North Wall Quay over the River Liffey in Dublin, the Samuel Beckett Bridge is designed to resemble a harp, a national symbol of Ireland. Completed in 2009, the cable-stayed bridge is named after the Irish novelist, playwright, and poet.
Photo: Marek Stepan/Getty Images7/14The Auditorio de Tenerife (Tenerife Auditorium) opened in 2003 on its namesake island, one of the Canary Islands off the southern coast of Morocco. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the structure is famous for its suspended arch, which appears to defy gravity as it shields the amphitheater beneath.
Photo: Courtesy of Ysios8/14Aluminum-clad wood beams form the undulating roof of Bodegas Ysios, a winery in Laguardia, Spain. Commissioned by the Bodegas and Bebidas Group and completed in 2000, the structure is meant to harmonize with the Sierra de Cantabria mountains behind it.
Photo: Spondylolithesis/Getty Images9/14The cantilevered Sundial Bridge that stretches over the Sacramento River in Redding, California, is the world’s largest functioning sundial. The support tower casts a shadow on a dial at the northern end of the bridge, providing the accurate time on one day of the year: the summer solstice.
Photo: Eve Livesey/Getty Images10/14Completed in 1992 and built to broadcast coverage of that year’s Olympic Games in Barcelona, the Montjuïc Communications Tower also acts as a large sundial. The white-metal-plated tower was inspired by a depiction of an ancient Greek athlete kneeling to collect his medal.
Photo: Henry Georgi/Getty Images11/14Stretching across the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, the Peace Bridge was completed in 2012 to serve the area’s pedestrians and cyclists. The tubular structure is crisscrossed with latticework of red steel in honor of the Canadian and Calgary flags.
Photo: Arcaid/Getty Images12/14Based on a Calatrava’s own figurative sculpture Twisting Torso, Malmö, Sweden’s Turning Torso was commissioned by HSB Sweden and completed in 2005. The structure has nine segments, each made up of five pentagonal floors that appear to gently twist upward.
Photo: Cristina Arias/Getty Images13/14Commissioned as a gift from the bank Caja Madrid to the city, this obelisk was officially completed in 2009. The cylindrical metal structure was inspired by Constantin Brancusi’s Endless Column.
Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/Getty Images14/14Better known as the Oculus, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub serves as a station for train service between New York and New Jersey and a concourse with commercial space. Designed to look like a bird being released from a child’s hands, the interior of the Oculus is clad in white marble to create an open, airy feeling.
