Santiago Calatrava: The Poetics of Movement, by Alexander Tzonis is an unusual art book. The text is as rich and vivid as the photographs of Calatrava’s soaring structures.

The inclusion of sketch studies provide insight into his training and design process. I especially appreciated Calatrava’s sketches of Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, by Le Corbusier. I have similar sketches (though only from photographs) and was pleased to learn what he chose to highlight in his drawings.

Calatrava: Public Buildings, by Stanislaus von Moos, Anthony Tischhauser, and Quim Nolla. From the forward, by Santiago Calatrava:

In my Ph.D. thesis ‘On the Foldability of Structures‘, I was guided by the motto “Natura mater et magistra” – nature is both, mother and teacher. This motto has guided all my work. There are many lessons one can draw from nature, real guiding rules and metaphors from observing plants and animals. To me, there are two overriding principles to be found in nature which are most appropriate for building: one is the optimal use of material; the other is the capacity of organisms to change shape, to grow, and to move. Movement in particular has been a source of real inspiration to me.

I’m interested in the biological themes behind his designs. Moving structures with bone-like joints. The Planetarium of the Valencia Science Center, Valencia, Spain, 1991 is an eye with a moving eye-lid.

His work reminds me of Pier Luigi Nervi‘s work during the 1970′s, but Calatrava benefits from the availability of lighter and stronger materials. Others liken his work in Valencia to Antoni Gaudi’s work in Barcelona. I prefer Calatrava.