What is Santiago Calatrava's full name?

Santiago Calatrava's full name is Santiago Calatrava Valls.

He was born on 28 July 1951, in Benimàmet, Valencia, Spain, and became internationally known as an architect, structural engineer, sculptor, and painter. “Santiago Calatrava” is the professional form most often used, while “Valls” is his second surname in the Spanish naming tradition.

Calatrava’s career combines artistic and engineering training. He studied architecture and urbanism in Valencia before moving to Switzerland for civil-engineering studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He later completed a doctorate in architecture there in 1981, with a thesis concerning the flexibility of three-dimensional structures.

His buildings are recognized for expressive structural forms, leaning supports, sweeping bridges, and roof systems inspired by movement and natural shapes. Major works include the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the Turning Torso in Malmö, the Alamillo Bridge in Seville, and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York. A common mix-up is treating “Valls” as a nickname or middle name; it is part of his full surname.