The Future of Bridges | Calatrava in Venice

Alamillo Bridge, 1992

Seville, Spain

Marking the start of Calatrava’s international acclaim, the Alamillo was built for the World Expo ’92 and is the architect’s first cable-stayed bridge— in which the angle of the main pylon (a stabilizing mastlike pillar) eliminates the need for any bulky concrete support.

Campo Volantin, 1997

Bilbao, Spain

Completed the same year as the Guggenheim, Bilbao’s other starchitect attraction, the Campo Volantin—also called the Zubi Zuri (Basque for white bridge)—is a single arch suspended by more than 80 steel cables.

Puente de la Mujer, 2001

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This three-part pedestrian structure connects the eastern and western docks of Puerto Madero. Said to represent a couple dancing the tango, the bridge has a midsection that swings a full 90 degrees to let boat traffic through.

Sundial Bridge, 2004

Redding, California

Calatrava’s first bridge in the United States (a set of three is to be unveiled in Dallas in 2010) is a 700-foot-long, cable-stayed expanse that crosses the Sacramento River. It also accurately tells time one day a year: on June 21, watch the pylon’s shadow move around a huge stone dial at its base at the rate of nearly one foot a minute.

Three Bridges Over the Hoofdvaart, 2004

Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands

This trio of bridges spans the Hoofdvaart, the main canal running through the booming Haarlemmer meer region, just west of Amsterdam. Resembling musical instruments, the structures are playfully referred to as Harp, Lute, and Lyre by locals.