Santiago Calatrava: Secret Sketchbook [Hardcover]

Santiago Calatrava (Author), Mirko Zardini (Editor), Pierluigi Nicolin (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

Master of Form: Santiago Calatrava's exquisite fusion of architecture, art and engineering (Complete Works 1979-2007) Santiago Calatrava is not only one of the world's most prominent architects, but also an engineer and an artist. With recent projects such as the stadiums for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens or the new railway station in Li?ge, Belgium, he has reached a level of undeniable notoriety in Europe and continues to move further ahead. The only architect ever to have his work exhibited at both the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he is currently working on the main transportation hub for Ground Zero in Manhattan as well as the tallest building in the United States: the 160-story Chicago Spire Tower. Winner of the 2005 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal as well as numerous other prestigious awards, Calatrava is one of the greatest and most innovative architects alive. He collaborated extensively with Philip Jodidio in the preparation of this monograph that retraces his career thus far and places his architecture in the context of his art, where nature meets engineering. All of Calatrava's work, from his astonishing suspended swimming pool at Zurich's Federal Institute of Technology to his latest, startling designs, is featured in this lavishly illustrated volume. Santiago Calatrava created watercolor drawings specifically for the fold-out pages of this volume.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

About the Author

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard University, and was Editor-in-Chief of the leading French art journal Connaissance des Arts for over two decades. He has published numerous articles and books, including TASCHEN's Architecture Now! series, Building a New Millennium, and monographs on Salgado Calatrava, Norman Foster, Richard Meier, Alvaro Siza, Tadao Ando, and Renzo Piano. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885254334
• ISBN-13: 978-1885254337
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,154,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Union of the Mind, the Hand and the Eye, November 5, 2000

By 

ozlem akcay (ny, ny USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Santiago Calatrava (Paperback)

Calatrava s sensational forms and expression are forms of nature manifested in concrete, metal and glass. His structures are powerful and accessible.One is intoxicated by their mythical quality. Their presence enrich the environment instead of overwhelming it. Calatrava s poetic vision carries us into the transcendental realm. This book provides those with great exposure of his oeuvre who have not seen his work. It is so inspiring to see his watercolor studies. It gives one good insight of where he is coming from. And this once again proves that one does not have too far to find beauty and inspiration. It is all in us and around us. Yet one wishes to see some architectural drawings (plans etc.)which would enable us to examine his structures more in detail. Finally I can assure you that this book is a great bargain with very successful photographic images and comprehensive multilingual background info.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good modern architect, July 31, 2008

By 

Earl Call "esquare" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Santiago Calatrava: 1951: Architect, Engineer, Artist (Taschen Basic Architecture) (Paperback)

I don't like modern architecture. In fact, I think the only thing worse than most modern architecture is post-modern architecture. That is, except for Santiago Calatrava. His structures, particularly his incredible bridges, are absolutely stunning. This book gives a worthwhile introduction to the work of this remarkable man, but is limited by size and cost to giving a rather skimpy picture. Given that larger and more complete works are very expensive, this is a cost-effective introduction.

5.0 out of 5 stars good introduction to work of a great architect, February 23, 2011

By 

Michael Gross - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Santiago Calatrava: 1951: Architect, Engineer, Artist (Taschen Basic Architecture) (Paperback)

I've been intrigued by Santiago Calatrava's architecture since seeing the station at Liege Guillemins just before it was completed. At that point, not knowing much and wanting to find out more, I found this little Taschen book the perfect introduction. There are short (2-6 pages) chapters on each building and a 15-page introduction.

As a scientist at the interface between life sciences and physical sciences, I am of course particularly attracted to Calatrava's characteristic way of taking inspiration from soft, living, moving creatures and using it for his structures, giving them a life of their own. Biology shines through everywhere in his work, and the book is good in pointing this out, using some of the architect's sketches as well. The photos are brilliant, too, though it may well be physically impossible to make a boring photo of anything designed by Calatrava.

Most importantly, the book contains a world map with the locations of his buildings at the end, very handy for planning travels to see as many of his works as possible (so far I've seen his completed works at Liege, Barcelona, Sevilla, and Lyon).