Santiago Calatrava Valls was born in Benimàmet, nearby Valencia, Spain. He has received a degree in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. In 1975 he enrolled in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland, for a second degree in civil engineering. In 1981, after receiving his doctorate in civil engineering for his thesis, "On the Foldability of Space Frames", he started his architecture and engineering practice.

Today Calatrava is considered one of the most influent neofuturistic architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter. He has offices in New York City, Doha, and Zürich.