Architect News Hubb
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Architecture News
  • Interior & Exterior News
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Architecture News
  • Interior & Exterior News
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
Architect News Hubb
No Result
View All Result
Home Architecture News

Take an Exclusive Look Into the Studio—and Life—of Starchitect Santiago Calatrava

admin by admin
August 17, 2022
in Architecture News


An early morning, spent at home

“Each morning, my journey begins exactly at six,” the affable Calatrava says. “I pour coffee, feed our family dog, Stella, then let her roam the yard.” It’s these early morning obligations, the architect explains, that keep him grounded and focused in routine. “Then, I ride my bicycle 20 minutes to a local tennis club near Lake Zurich.” After playing for an hour, he cycles home. With a shower and breakfast out of the way, Calatrava begins his first salvo into creative rigor. “On the third floor of my house, I have an atelier that I use to paint from nine to noon.” The Spanish architect is as deft at wielding a paintbrush on canvas as he is at taking a pencil to drafting paper. (In his hometown of Valencia, Calatrava was first enrolled in an art school at a young age.) 

To walk through his atelier is to roam his mind. Paintings can be seen of a charging bull, a skeletal hand, bodies suspended mid-dance, and a dove mid-flight. “I find much beauty and inspiration in the natural world,” Calatrava admits. This inspiration is apparent to anyone who has looked at one of his completed structures, making Calatrava more of an alchemist than architect. He has a way of manipulating steel, glass, and concrete into something soft, even ephemeral. Examples abound: a tower that reads as a torso (Malmö, Sweden), a communications building that recalls a flame (Barcelona), a museum reminiscent of a flying bird (Milwaukee), a pedestrian bridge more like a pair of tango dancers than a mere structure (Buenos Aires).

The genesis of Turning Torso can be traced back to a sculpture Calatrava designed in 1985. This sculpture, in turn, evolved from sketches he made of the human spine.

Photo: Maciej Lulko/Getty Images

Calatrava’s Montjuïc Communications Tower, in Barcelona, was finished in 1992 (in time for that year’s Summer Olympics).

Photo: Frank Bienewald/Getty Images

Calatrava’s Puente De La Mujer in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, was completed in 2001.

Photo: Getty Images

At the studio by 1 p.m.

After the paintbrushes are left to dry, Calatrava eats lunch downstairs. Then, it’s less than a 10-minute drive from home to the studio, where he arrives around 1 p.m. The work space is located in an early 20th-century residence near the northern tip of Lake Zurich. Once owned by a prominent local brewing family, this space is where the architect has worked since 2002. Today, the house turned studio is a blend of old-world charm and no-nonsense Swiss organization. 

It’s in this office of 30 employees that Calatrava embarks on what he declares the everyday job of an architect. “Since I am an engineer by education, the material parts of the architecture are very clear to me. But there’s so much more to consider. A successful architect needs to be like the director of an orchestra. It’s in the finding of a good contractor. It’s in working with the unions, working with the finances, working with the limitations of the land, the limitations of the local zoning laws. These tasks can be viewed as mundane, but the importance of them cannot be exaggerated.”

A painting by Calatrava in his New York office.

Photo: Lizzie Soufleris

Ceramic and painting with bull motif by Calatrava.

Ceramic and watercolor paintings with motif of human bodies, by Calatrava.

A table, multiple sculptures, and a painting above the fireplace, all by Calatrava, as seen at his New York studio. 

Photo: Lizzie Soufleris



Source link

Tags: adarchitecture
Previous Post

Send Us a Drawing. Tell Us a Story. Win $3,000. The One Drawing Challenge Returns!

Next Post

Step Inside a Chic Soho Loft That’s Understated Yet Daring Architectural Digest | Architectural Digest

Next Post

Step Inside a Chic Soho Loft That’s Understated Yet Daring Architectural Digest | Architectural Digest

Recommended

What Does a Commercial Interior Designer Do?

August 24, 2022

House Renovation Cost – What is the Average Price to Renovate a House?

August 22, 2022

Why Hire Professional Painters?

December 20, 2022

One Photo Challenge 2022: Competition Winners and Commended Entries Revealed!

August 15, 2022

Build a Squirrel House—Without Worrying Your Neighbors

January 18, 2023

Don't miss it

Architecture News

33 Apartment Decor Ideas for a Truly One-of-a-Kind Space

January 30, 2023
Architecture News

Free Webinar: How to Estimate Fees (An Architect’s Guide to Success)

January 30, 2023
Interior & Exterior News

Colorado’s LGBT+ Club Q will reopen this year

January 30, 2023
Architecture News

Pierattelli Architetture shows us Palazzo Living

January 30, 2023
Interior & Exterior News

Between a Deck and a Terrace, Which One Should You Choose?

January 30, 2023
Architecture News

Jacques Garcia Auction: If You Loved “The White Lotus” Palazzo, You’ll Want to Bookmark This Sale

January 29, 2023

© 2022 Architect  News Hubb All rights reserved.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Architecture News
  • Interior & Exterior News
  • Contact us

Newsletter Sign Up

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Architecture News
  • Interior & Exterior News
  • Contact us

© 2022 Architect News Hubb All rights reserved.