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Santiago Calatrava
The past year has been a roller coaster of highs and lows for Santiago Calatrava, the architect Dezeen readers tend to either love or hate.
The major news was that the Spanish architect's long-delayed World Trade Center Transportation Hub finally opened, but instead of being met with fanfare, the project was marred with the controversy of a leaky ceiling. Dezeen columnist Alan G Brake described it as "a place to go to avoid New York rather than to experience it".
Things got worse when architecture firm Gensler revealed a rival design to replace Calatrava's part-built Chicago Spire, which stalled during the financial crisis and was never completed.
Calatrava had more success elsewhere, completing a major science museum in Rio de Janeiro, being selected to design a colossal Dubai observation tower and unveiling a design for a Dubai Expo 2020 pavilion.
The 65-year-old also proved he still has a few more bridge designs up his sleeve. Despite having designed at least 40 in his career, he was given the chance to work on three more for the growing Chinese city of Huashan. He also received a bit of extra attention from Dezeen readers when three of his most famous bridges made it onto our architecture-themed advent calendar.
Top posts:
1. Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center transit terminal to quietly open next week
2. Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center transit terminal springs a leak
3. Calatrava wins contest for observation tower in Dubai harbour
4. Museum of Tomorrow by Santiago Calatrava opens in Rio de Janeiro
5. Gensler unveils skyscraper design for site of Calatrava's ill-fated Chicago Spire