Calatrava's opera houses...Moneo's hotel for sportsmen...

One of the world's most exciting architects, Valencian-born Santiago Calatrava creates contemporary landmarks, each one unique. In the past 18 months, he debuted two major buildings in Spain: the wave-shaped Tenerife opera house in the Canary Islands and the Valencia opera house in his vast City of Arts and Sciences complex, which was constructed with white tiles and resembles a giant space station. Architect Rafael Moneo, who designed the expansion of Madrid's Prado museum, takes a different, more timeless approach. His multimillion-dollar redesign of the recently opened Gran Hotel and Restaurante del Lago, at the Panticosa Resort in the Spanish Pyrenees, is subtle. He's kept the original 1890s facade intact, while reinventing the interiors with lots of sleek, light-colored wood. The resort, which has a modern spa that incorporates ancient thermal springs, caters to avid amateur skiers and cyclists as well as professional athletes.
DETAILS Doubles from $245; Carretera del Balneario, km 10, Panticosa; 011-34-974-487-161.

Published February 2005