Caltrava is not one of the world's most sought after architects by chance. Although the laws of physics and gravity apply to his work just as much as any other architect, his knowledge of the science and his marvelous creativity make his buildings and bridges seem as if they are about to swoop up off the ground.
Santiago Calatrava was born near Valencia, Spain, in 1951 and was educated there and at the ETH in Zurich.
"His best-known work, in the form of bridges and towers, is closely related to his own drawings of the human body and to his sculptures of geometric forms, inspired by the dynamics of movement and tension....His work is situated at the junction between art, architecture, and engineering, and he has become one of the leading figures of a new generation which is determining the shape of architectural design for the future. His new projects, in the United States and Europe, are likely to change the way we look at contemporary architecture," according to TASCHEN Verlag, the original publisher of the book.
The book's author, Philip Jodidio, studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His books include TASCHEN's Architecture Now! series, and monographs on Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Richard Meier, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid. He is internationally renowned as one of the most popular writers on the subject of architecture, TASCHEN says.
Author: Erzsébet Eszéki / Photo: smu.edu
