2005 AIA Gold Medal

Calatrava wins the Gold
"Calatrava’s buildings, engineering projects, and furniture taken together with his drawings, sculpture, and scientific research, manifested that a genuine unity of rational intelligence with poetry is still possible; a very rare synthesis in our time. His built projects succeeded in overcoming the barriers between pragmatism, infrastructure service, and intellectual expression. They restored a general enthusiasm for the art of construction, bringing back an excitement about it long gone since the 1950s. They dispelled the bias against technology as something by definition dull. Most important, they demonstrated that utilitarian artifacts do not have to be oppressive and disruptive but can evoke delight and a sense of identity."

- Alexander Tzonis