Santiago Calatrava's Puerto Madero Bridge - A Case Study

Okay, so this story happened in 1999, way before diego+heymann+partners even existed. It doesn't matter. This is the kind of thinking that defines our DNA: to create not just advertising, but communications. The brief sounded just like any other brief: an ad campaign to promote a riverfront real estate development in Buenos Aires. It was an ambitious project, but the complex was by no means in a high-traffic area. The ad campaign had a clear goal: to generate awareness and drive visitors to the complex. The budget: $4 million. To Jorge Heymann, our dear founder, spending that amount of money on an ad campaign would be a mistake. Given its location, he concluded that no campaign would drive the level of traffic to the complex that was needed. So instead of building an ad campaign, Jorge proposed to build something that would literally and physically bring people to the complex: a bridge. A pedestrian bridge across the river would definitely drive traffic, exactly what the development needed. But it shouldn't be just another bridge. The bridge itself should be the attraction. A world-class structure designed by a world-renowned architect. Jorge convinced Santiago Calatrava, one of the most important architects in the world today, to build a new landmark to symbolize the new Buenos Aires. In dealing with Calatrava, Jorge went so far as to carry a client’s business card with his name on it. For all practical purposes, Jorge was acting as the client. Now that’s true partnership. Only possible with an enormous level of trust and respect. The outcome is a stunning work of architecture that will last way longer than any advertising annual. This is the kind of work we at diego+heymann+partners strive to do every day.