It all began with Rita Barberá, the city’s popular and
dynamic mayor, who was first elected in 1991. Confronted
with a place in the grip of industrial decline, with a
floundering economy, she took inspiration from the
regeneration of Barcelona in the early 1990s. Her plan was
to give the city a unique identity through its buildings.
This is all easier said than done, but the mayor had a
trump card in the shape of Santiago Calatrava. Now one
of the world’s greatest architects, he is also a Valencia
native. Although he’s mainly based in Zurich, Calatrava,
61,
still has a studio in Valencia – in a corner of Plaza de
la Virgen in the historic city centre. His contribution to
the regeneration has been immense. In particular, he
designed most of the buildings in the City of Arts and
Sciences, including the white, ceramic-clad opera house.
Resembling a giant helmet and completed in 2005, it has
become a symbol of the city’s forward-looking outlook.
He wasn’t alone. The late Spanish architect Félix
Candela designed the oceanographic centre, which
includes a stunning aquarium, and a dolphinarium, one
of Valencia’s most popular attractions. The monumental
City, with its vast spaces stretching over a 35-hectare
site, also houses an IMAX cinema and a science museum.
The latter shows the influence of Calatrava’s hero Antoni
Gaudí, by using architectural elements that resemble
animal skeletons, a feature of much of his work. Indeed,
it was the Arts and Sciences project that helped to cement
Calatrava’s international reputation. “It’s certainly very
striking and iconic, and showcased what he was capable
of when given carte blanche,” says Kucharek.
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03
06
05
04
01
Previous page, The Palau
de les Artes concert hall,
left, and the Hemisphèric
IMAX
02
The Oceanogràfic
03
View from the Science
Museum
04
l’Assut de l’Or Bridge in
middle ground
05
A space-age view
06
The Hemisfèric planetarium
PHOTOS
CORBIS, GETTY
THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
0 8 5
A R C H I T E C T U R E
V A L E N C I A
