Santiago Calatrava: The Poetics of Movement

Very few designers of this century-- a century dominated by specialization and fragmentation-- can be called universal, but Santiago Calatrava is one of these few. In his numerous buildings, engineering projects, sculptures, and furniture designs, this Spanish architect whose practice is based in Switzerland has developed a unique poetics of morphology that overlaps structure and movement.

Combining art and science, technology and architecture, Calatrava's bridges and buildings create a sublime elegance in their urban contexts. With dynamic curves, leaning vertical elements, and mechanically operable roofs, they embody potential motion. In this book, Alexander Tzonis explores Calatrava's "poetics of movement" not only in the architect's large-scale work, but also in his drawings and sculptures.

The book features thirty-five projects, fully documented with photographs, drawings, and sketches. Included are Calatrava's most recent works-- the Milwaukee Art Museum Addition and the Orient Station in Lisbon-- and his best known, from the Montjuic Tower to the Alameda Bridge.