The beauty and innovation of the bridges of Santiago Calatrava are well demonstrated in monographs on Calatrava and his works. Now Spiro Pollalis reveals to us the entire process of realizing one of Calatrava's most important works, the Alamillo Bridge in Seville.
Stanford Anderson, Head, Department of Architecture, MIT
The Alamillo Bridge is another exemplum: it is architecture not solely engineering that defines a bridge of outstanding design. Spiro Pollalis presents the conception, design, and construction of this bridge in depth, and in a refreshing, engaging manner.
Dimitris A. Fatouros, Professor Emeritus, University of Thessaloniki, Greece
What is a Bridge? tells the fascinating story of how the Alamillo Bridge in Seville was designed and constructed. Rarely, if ever, can one read a more lucid and engaging presentation of design process and the sophisticated technical details of structural design and fabrication. Spiro Pollalis—a collaborator of Calatrava's—has made a very real contribution to our understanding of the possibilities of bridges as architecture and vice versa.
Peter G. Rowe, Raymond Garbe Professor of Architecture and Urban Design of the Faculty of Design, Harvard University
This book on Calatrava's famous Alamillo Bridge in Seville is not a simple glorification of this outstanding work but a detailed description of its development from design to completion. The book is not only valuable for engineers and students, but also shows the technically interested layman what is needed to create such a work.
Hans H. Hauri, Professor and former President of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH)
...copiously illustrated with architectural sketches, photographs, and the relevant engineering calculations.
Bert Civil Engineering
Here is a case study to read and treasure.
W. J. Harvey
The Structural Engineer
This is a fascinating and thorough account of one of the world's greatest engineering feats.
Science News
