On Tuesday, the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies announced Santiago Calatrava as the winner of the 2015 European Prize for Architecture.
The honor is awarded every year to architects who have “blazoned a new path and direction for an architecture that is deeply humane and committed to forward the principles of European humanism,” according to The Chicago Athenaeum’s website.
Calatrava, who has a background in both architecture and engineering, is known for his curved structures made of steel and concrete.
"His buildings are not just 'building,'" said Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, the President of The Chicago Athenaeum, in a statement. "They are powerful works of art inspired by a master's gifted hand and sculpted by a superior, critical eye."
A few of his projects include the Stadelholfen Railway Station in Zurich; the Peace Bridge in Calgary, Canada; the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee; Turning Torso, in Malmö, Sweden; and the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia, Spain.
Calatrava will receive the award at a ceremony at the World Trade Center in New York on November 17. Also, a catalog of his works will be published by the Metropolitan Arts Press.
Milwaukee Art Museum. Photo: John Picken/Wikimedia Commons
Turning Torso. Photo: Väsk/Wikimedia Commons
Calgary's Peace Bridge. Photo: davebloggs007/Creative Commons
Related Stories
| Sep 26, 2013
Literature review affirms benefits of daylighting, architectural glazing
The use of glass as a building material positively impacts learning, healing, productivity and well-being, according to a white paper published by Guardian Industries and the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The findings highlight the significant influence daylighting and outside views have on employees, workers, students, consumers and patients.
| Sep 26, 2013
Mobilizing your job site to achieve a paperless project: fact or fiction?
True mobility in the field has rapidly evolved from lock-box kiosks on each floor to laptops on rolling carts to tablets and iPads loaded with drawings sets stored in the cloud. And WiFi-ready job sites have gone from “nice to have” to “must have” status in just a little over a year.
| Sep 26, 2013
Leading in the face of change
As AEC firms navigate toward an uncertain future, the most effective leaders are those who eagerly adapt to change. Here are three attitudes that drive leaders who are of most value to their firms.
| Sep 23, 2013
The art of rewarding employees
What’s the best way to reward those employees who go the extra mile, particularly when it’s not always feasible to give large financial bonuses? According to author and “recognition expert” Dr. Bob Nelson, the most effective employee rewards are also the least expensive.
| Sep 23, 2013
Six-acre Essex Crossing development set to transform vacant New York property
A six-acre parcel on the Lower East Side of New York City, vacant since tenements were torn down in 1967, will be the site of the new Essex Crossing mixed-use development. The product of a compromise between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and various interested community groups, the complex will include ~1,000 apartments.
| Sep 20, 2013
August housing starts reveal multifamily still healthy but single-family stagnating
Peter Muoio, Ph.D., senior principal and economist with Auction.com Research, says the Census Bureau's August Housing Starts data released yesterday hints at improvements in the single-family sector with multifamily slowing down.
| Sep 19, 2013
What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings
Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.
| Sep 19, 2013
6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies
Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.
| Sep 18, 2013
Annual SteelDay to include 125 free events around the U.S.
Hosted by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), its members and partners, SteelDay invites the AEC community and the public to see the contributions the industry has made in the design and construction of steel buildings and bridges.
| Sep 18, 2013
WHR Architects opens first European office, in Copenhagen
WHR Architects has opened its first European office in Copenhagen, Denmark. The decision to locate in the Danish capital was spurred by the Danish healthcare system’s initiative to renew and expand their facilities across the country.