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Mr. Calatrava was paid approximately 94 million euros (about $127 million) for his work. How could that be, Mr. Blanco asks, when the opera house included 150 seats with obstructed views? Or when the science museum was initially built without fire escapes or elevators for the disabled? — NYT
Suzanne Daley visits Valencia, Spain a city that embraced Santiago Calatrava and is home to the huge (86 acres) City of Arts and Sciences, complex. Since completion of the project, costly oversights and repairs have engendered complaints and criticism of architect and his, some say overly formal... View full entry
In the end, that may be the most astonishing feature of the hub; that a structure of such colossal proportions should be devoted to unobstructed public use. The main transit hall is 365 feet long — a block and a half — making it 90 feet longer than the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal. It is 115 feet wide, or just 5 feet narrower than the Grand Central concourse. — NYT
David W. Dunlap visited the still under construction World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Set to open in 2015, the station has an estimated $3.94 billion price tag but was originally priced at $2 billion. The project was also damaged as a result of Hurricane Sandy incurring as... View full entry
At $3.74 billion, plus another $200 million in contingencies, the “Transportation Hub” at the World Trade Center—not even the busiest station in the Financial District—will be far and away the most expensive train station built in modern history.
The Hub, as it’s known in Port Authority speak, will be the crowning artistic statement of the World Trade Center complex, perhaps the last grand gesture at a site that was supposed to be full of them.
— observer.com
A dozen years after Calatrava built the spectacular Ysios winery in the rainy Alava region of northern Spain, the building's dramatic, undulating roof continues to let in the damp.
Now Domecq, the owner of the winery, has said it is fed up with the botched attempts of Calatrava's original builders at fixing the roof and wants money from them so that it can bring in fresh architects and engineers to design a new one.
— guardian.co.uk
While the old-school images might seem odd, the new production method and a barrage of features both seen and unseen will make the licenses, officials say, virtually impossible to forge. — nytimes.com
New York has unveiled a new design for their driver’s licenses, showcasing Santiago Calatrava's WTC Transit Hub in the background. View full entry
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration was the debut of Dallas’ newest architectural icon connecting Downtown Dallas to West Dallas over the Trinity River. More than 40,000 people attended the opening celebrations from Friday through Sunday, March 2-4, when it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk, run and party on the bridge and toast the best new view in town.
The bridge, Santiago Calatrava’s first vehicular bridge in the United States, will officially be opened to traffic this evening.
— bustler.net
“It has been extraordinarily controversial and I made no bones of the fact that it’s not a project I would have supported if I had been on council at the time,” said the mayor.
“But the thing is, it’s there. It’s an indelible and a permanent part of the landscape of our city.
“It would all do us good to grow to love it.”
The span, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is officially pegged at $24.5 million, but is expected to cost more.
— calgarysun.com
A review of project invoices... shows $5.17 million in lump-sum payments for work done by Calatrava himself, mostly "visioning." There is little accounting of what Calatrava did and how much time he spent on it — which is not unusual with star architects but isn't always the case.
The records provide other glimpses at the cost of doing business with someone of Calatrava's stature, including more than $640,000 spent on models and animation whose ownership is now in question.
— denverpost.com
"For the past several years, Denver International Airport and I have worked with a team of dedicated architects and engineers to try to bring this ambitious project to fruition," he said in a statement. "From the beginning we have had the project's best interests at heart and although we have decided to part ways, I wish DIA all the best with the South Terminal Redevelopment Program and its future success." — denverpost.com
Previously: Calatrava: Hasta la Vista Denver! View full entry
Noted international architect Santiago Calatrava has informed Denver International Airport officials that he and his firm are halting their work on DIA's South Terminal Redevelopment Program and are withdrawing from the venture.
DIA officials said they intend to proceed with the project using designs already produced by the Spanish architect and his firm, Festina Lente.
— Denver Post
Calatrava is apparently quitting over the speculation that the city & county of Denver does not have enough cash to complete the project to the level of quality that is befitting his name and the reputation of his firm. View full entry
"But I do believe that in these economic times, it doesn't make sends for us to spent extra tax dollars, public funds, taxpayer money on elaborate architectural construction when we have real infrastructure needs..." — Council member Angela Hunt
But don't fret just yet! Calatrava's previous contract was mostly paid for his earier work. The Dallas Morning News reported that the city voted to accept $5,000,000 in anonymous donations in addition to the $2,100,000 funds left unpaid to Calatrava combined with a $3,500,000 in city bond... View full entry
Calatrava waves his magic marker and secures planning approval for the Fordham Spire. "With this approval, we're on our way to adding another architectural treasure to this great city," says the developer. Crain's Chicago Business View full entry
