Architect Santiago Calatrava greets his fans

Speaking at the 60th floor of One Chase Manhattan Plaza, Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava drew more than 500 guests to the Alliance for Downtown New York's monthly "Third Thursday" lecture on January 19. The event heralded the new season of the acclaimed lecture series, which is free to the public and features prominent architects, authors, and historians speaking on topics relevant to Lower Manhattan.

Calatrava, 54, gave the audience a photographic tour of his work, explaining how his innovative architectural and artistic designs have evolved over the past decades in cities around the world, including his renowned master plan for the 2004 Athens Olympic grounds. He also addressed his design process, which includes watercolor painting and multi-media sculpture, and screened a short video about his work and methods.

Specific to Lower Manhattan, Calatrava touched on his design for the 80 South Street tower, being commissioned for Sciame Development, which he called "a skyscraper facing the 21st century."

He explained that his design for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is "the most emotional" of his career, for its symbolic meaning and powerful place in his now-home city of New York. Calatrava explained that the design serves as both an icon, as well as a highly functional hub of neighborhood activity and regional interconnectedness.

A selection of Calatrava's sculpture and architectural designs is now on display at a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit, showing through March 5.

Click here to read more about current work at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

For more information about the Downtown Third Thursday series, click here.