Santiago Calatrava gives a master class at Pratt‎

Santiago Calatrava has left his mark all across the globe, from Barcelona’s innovative Bac de Roda Bridge to the majestic Tenerife Opera House in the Canary Islands to the Alameda Bridge and Metro station in his hometown of Valencia, Spain.

The renowned architect and engineer also has an eye for art, with sculptures paintings exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

On April 22, the modern Renaissance man will speak about his work and nearly 30-year career at Pratt in Clinton Hill.

“Santiago Calatrava is one of the most innovative, accomplished, and influential architects working in the field,” said Thomas Hanrahan, Dean of The School of Architecture. “His lecture is certain to inspire the next generation of architects, artists, and designers at Pratt.”

Calatrava’s gull wings and soaring cement aren’t for everyone, as he bends concrete and steel into dramatic arcs that follow form over function. But he has been praised for bridging the gap between engineering and architecture, creating structures that evoke the human body in their elegance.

Calatrava has more than a dozen projects in development or proposed, chief among them his design for the new World Trade Center transportation hub. In 2004, the bird-like station was unveiled with a flair befitting the design when the architect took to pastels and paper to explain his theme of flight, sketching the image of a child releasing a bird into the air on an easel before the crowd gathered.

When he takes to the podium at Pratt, we hope that someone makes sure this man has a pen and some paper.

Santiago Calatrava at Pratt Institute [200 Willoughby Ave. at Hall Street in Clinton Hill, (718) 636-3514], April 22 at 6 pm. Free. For info, visit www.pratt.edu.