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Santiago Calatrava, FAIA, Selected to Receive the 2005 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., December 2,
2004 — Internationally acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava, FAIA, was selected
today by the Board of Directors of The American Institute of
Architects (AIA) to receive the 2005 AIA Gold Medal. The highest
honor the AIA confers to an individual, the Gold Medal recognizes
an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting
influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Calatrava
will be presented with the Gold Medal at the American Architectural
Foundation Accent on Architecture Gala, February 11, 2005, at the
National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
“Wonderful, thank you! I feel very honored,” Calatrava
said earlier today, upon learning the news of his award via
telephone from AIA President Eugene C. Hopkins, FAIA, and the rest
of the AIA Board. “I will try to be at the level of this honor
for the rest of my career and honor you with my work.”
The elemental and lyrical forms of Calatrava’s architecture,
known and loved across the globe, most recently have manifested in
the architect-engineer-artist’s cathedral-like design for the
World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the $2 billion natural
light-filled design linking the commuter trains and subway lines
that converge at the World Trade Center site. Also this year,
millions enjoyed the harmony created at the 2004 Summer Olympic
Games in Athens thanks to Calatrava’s master plan for the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex, which included his soaringly
spectacular designs for the Olympic Stadium, the Agora, and the
Nations Wall.
Calatrava is the 61st AIA Gold Medalist, joining the ranks of such
visionaries as Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis
Sullivan, LeCorbusier, Louis Kahn, I.M. Pei, Cesar Pelli, and 2004
AIA Gold Medal recipient Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee, FAIA. In
recognition of his legacy to architecture, Calatrava’s name
will be chiseled into a granite wall of honor located in the lobby
of the AIA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Among Calatrava’s other most notable recent works are: the
expansion of the Milwaukee Art Museum (2001), his first building in
the U.S.; Sondica Airport, Bilbao (2000); James Joyce Bridge,
Dublin (2003); the Auditorio de Tenerife, Santa Cruz, Canary
Islands (2003); and Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, Calif.
(2004). Nearing completion are the Petach Tikvah Bridge, Tel Aviv;
Quarto Ponte sul Grand Canale, Venice; and the Palacio de las
Artes, the last building for Valencia’s City of Arts and
Sciences. Calatrava’s firm also is currently designing
Atlanta’s Symphony Center.
In nominating him for the award, 2004 Committee Chair J. Windom
Kimsey, FAIA, and 2001-02 AIA Vice President Edward J. Kodet,
FAIA—speaking on behalf of the AIA Committee on Design—
wrote, “Santiago Calatrava exemplifies sculptural expression
and engineering through architecture. Calatrava’s work is like
music: well orchestrated. It is architecture that delights and
finds new meaning each time it is experienced.” The committee
also noted, “Santiago Calatrava’s work seeks out the
essence of architecture. His architecture expands the vision and
expresses the energy of the human spirit, captivating the
imagination and delighting us in the wonders of what sculptural
form and dynamic structure can accomplish. Santiago Calatrava
defines the reason for the AIA Gold Medal. His vision elevates the
human spirit through the creation of environments in which we live,
play, and work.”
About Calatrava
A native of Valencia, Spain, Calatrava, whose heritage extends back
to a medieval order of knights, began his formal instruction in the
arts at the age of eight. He was a teenager when Spain’s
dictatorship relaxed its travel restrictions, allowing him to study
in Paris and Switzerland as an exchange student. He earned his
degree in architecture from the Escuela Tecnica Superior de
Arquitectura in Valencia and a PhD in engineering from the Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich.
Calatrava established his first office in Zurich and soon after
gained acclaim as a bridge designer, beginning with the commission
of the Bach de Roda Bridge for the 1984 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Among his other feats of bridge engineering and beauty are the
Alamillo Bridge for the World’s Fair in Seville (1992), the
Campo Volantin Footbridge in Bilbao (1997), and the Alameda Bridge
and subway station in Valencia (1995).
Establishment of the firm’s second office in Paris in 1989
coincided with the design of the Lyon Airport Station, which was
completed in 1994. A third office in Valencia followed in 1991 with
work on the City of Arts and Sciences, a very large cultural
complex, which continues to this day. He recently also opened a New
York City office as well.
Among his myriad awards Calatrava counts the Gold Medal of the
Institute of Structural Engineers, London; the City of Toronto
Urban Design Award, Toronto; the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine
Arts, Ministry of Culture, Spain; Time magazine’s “Best
of 2001” designation for the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion;
the Sir Misha Black Medal, Royal College of Art, London; the
Leonardo da Vinci Medal, Florence; the Gold Medal of Architecture
of L’Academie d’Architecture, Paris; the European Steel
Design Award for the University of Zurich Law School roof, Lucerne,
Switzerland; the Silver Beam Award of the Swedish Institute of
Steel Construction, Gotherburg, Sweden; the Illuminating Design
Award of Merit of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North
America, New York; and 13 honorary doctorates.
Calatrava has captured the hearts and imagination of the public and
his clients as well as those of designers and engineers around the
globe. Joseph J. Seymour, executive director of the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey, summed up the impact of
Calatrava’s work when writing about the World Trade Center
Transportation Hub, for which the Port Authority is the client.
“In addition to being an inspiration in this country and
around the world, Mr. Calatrava’s transportation facility will
serve thousands of commuter and tourists each day,” Seymour
pointed out. “… Mr. Calatrava captivated the New York
– New Jersey region when he unveiled a soaring, spectacular
design concept for the transportation hub, which will be one of the
centerpieces for the redeveloped World Trade Center site. It is my
firm belief that Mr. Calatrava’s glass-and-steel winged
building will one day serve as an inspiring architectural icon for
New York City, rivaling some of the city’s more famous
transportation facilities, including Grand Central
Station.”
About The American Institute of Architects
Since 1857, the AIA has represented the professional interests of
America's architects. As AIA members, over 74,000 licensed
architects, emerging professionals and allied partners express
their commitment to excellence in design and livability in our
nation's buildings and communities. Members adhere to a code of
ethics and professional conduct that assures the client, the
public, and colleagues of an AIA-member architect's dedication to
the highest standards in professional practice.
Note to editors:
For additional background information on the AIA Gold Medal
please contact Cara Battaglini in the AIA's media
relations office, (202) 626-7462, email carab@aia.org.
All media inquiries and interview requests for Calatrava should
be directed to Claire Whittaker, (212)799-5515, email Claire@kreisberggroup.com
To contact Calatrava's New York office please send an email
to: admin.newyork@calatrava.com
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