Santiago Calatrava's Sketches

Oriente Station, Lisbon

"Being both an architect and an engineer, I am fascinated by a building's framework and that fascination is visually communicated in my projects. The use of laminated glass, with its transparent or translucent nature, in the facades and roofs of projects like the St Exupery (France) and Orient (Lisbon) train stations provides a strong aesthetic contrast to the opacity of the concrete and structural steel frameworks. "

"My frequent use of laminated glass, particularly in roofing, enables natural light to penetrate inside large-scale projects. Laminated glass is legislated for glass roofing applications in most countries of the world for safety reasons. Again, because of its safety, laminated glass is an ideal material to use for facades that interface constantly with crowds of people, whether they be commuters or art gallery visitors."