Calatrava, Santiago (1951– )

Spanish architect and engineer. He is noted for his highly expressive and elegant structural solutions. He established his international reputation through his innovative bridge projects, for example the Mérida Bridge, Spain (begun 1988), which spans the River Guadiana with a 195 m/640 ft arch.

Other works include the dramatic TGV railway station, Lyon (begun 1989), which has a wing roof resembling a bird taking flight; the East London River Crossing Bridge (1990), 630 m/2,067 ft in length, which has a central arch spanning 450 m/1,477 ft contained within its internal structure; and two spectacular suspension bridges in Seville (1992).

He was born in Valencia and studied architecture there 1969–73 and civil engineering at the ETH (Federal Institute of Technology) in Zürich, Switzerland 1975–79.