Santiago Calatrava

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Forms of stunning expressive power

It is as if some antediluvian dinosaur had spread its wings over the tracks: Satolas railway station in Lyon is one of the uncontested masterpieces of star architect Santiago Calatrava, and surely one of the master achievements of contemporary architecture anywhere.

For twenty years the Zurich-born Spaniard has been dazzling with virtuoso major buildings, from bridges and towers to airports and railway stations, exciting international attention with every new project. He exhibits a sculptor's instinct for the relations of statics and dynamics, of mass and style, as time and again he produces forms of stunning expressive power.

For his inspiration, Calatrava draws on organic, human and zoomorphic shapes such as ribs, bones, or insect eyes. Throughout, the lightness of his touch in transferring from small-format models in wood and metal to the immense scale of his constructions has fascinated - from the telecommunications tower in Barcelona and the EXPO bridge in Seville to Bilbao airport.

This book, created in close consultation with Calatrava himself, was designed by celebrated Spanish graphic designer and Calatrava authority Quim Nolla. Working the line where architecture and design meet, it affords a unique view of a creative endeavour that has set standards for the architects and designers of the future.