Architect, Artist, Engineer

A public lecture in association with The Architect’s Studio exhibition.

Santiago Calatrava’s architecture was on spectacular view at his Athens Olympic Sports Complex this summer, and he won acclaim for his evocative design for the PATH transportation terminal at the World Trade Center. He discusses these and other projects in conjunction with the exhibition Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio at the Henry Art Gallery.

As both an architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava creates works that emphasize structural design and create unusual sculptural surfaces. After earning a degree in architecture in his native Valencia, Calatrava pursued post-graduate studies in civil engineering in Zurich, where he established his first office. In 1984, he designed and built the Bach de Roda Bridge for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, beginning a series of notable bridge projects. Calatrava opened a second office in Paris and a third in Valencia to facilitate his increasingly complex public projects, including the Lyon Airport (1989-1994), and the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia (ongoing). Among his recent projects are the Milwaukee Art Museum (2001), Tenerife Opera House (2003), and commissions for the Christ the Light Cathedral in Oakland, California, and Symphony Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Calatrava has also exhibited his sculpture in galleries and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1993), and the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy (2000-2001).