During the 1960's, architecture began to shift from the boring, boxy skyscrapers to more creative and out of the ordinary buildings. I think Santiago Calatrava’s works are an excellent example of this. He designed the Milwaukee Art Museum in Minnesota, which is located on Lake Michigan. I thought this building was amazing as I was reading through the chapter. It fits perfectly with its surroundings. When I first saw it I immediately thought of a sailboat. It turned out to be a 90 ft. high reception hall that is sheltered with a portable sun screen.
Calatrava said he “worked to infuse the building with a certain sensitivity to the culture of the lake – the boats, the sails, and the always changing landscape”. His ability to blend with the surroundings reminds me of Wright, but their designs are pretty different.
I had never heard of Calatrava, so I researched him. I found out he is considered one of the most elite architects in the world. He was born in Spain and now has offices all over the world. He has designed numerous buildings and bridges and is currently working on a train station at Ground Zero in NYC. Calatrava rarely designs totally enclosed buildings, but instead prefers to make them open.
This picture is one of Calatrava’s works, the Campo Volantin Footbridge in Bilbao, Spain. To me, his works are very unique and pleasing to the eye. They seem light, airy, and sleek, and almost like something is frozen in time. Overall I was very impressed with Calatrava’s amazing work.
Calatrava is definitely one of my favourite architects. "...light, airy, and sleek..." is a perfect description. Some say that architecture is much like music. There are requirements, patterns, and rules to follow yet numerous possibilities exist. Much like you mentioned, Calatrava's works are music frozen in time.
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