Puente de la Mujer
| Puente de la Mujer Woman's Bridge |
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|---|---|
 
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| Crosses | Dock 3 in Puerto Madero |
| Locale | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Designer | Santiago Calatrava |
| Design | Forward cantilever with gate-swing opening |
| Material | Steel, reinforced concrete |
| Total length | 170 meters |
| Width | 6.20 meters |
| Opened | December 20, 2001 |
The Puente de la Mujer (Spanish for "Woman's Bridge") is a footbridge in the new Puerto Madero comercial district of Buenos Aires, Argentina that spans dock 3 (dique 3). It is of the Cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge type and is also a swing bridge, but somewhat unique in its asymmetrical arrangement. It has a single mast with cables suspending a portion of the bridge which rotates 90 degrees in order to allow water traffic to pass. When it swings to allow watercraft passage the far end comes to a resting point on a stabilizing pylon.
It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and is similar to his Puente del Alamillo and Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, but with a forward, rather than a reverse angled cantilever, as is seen in those bridges. Started in 1998, it was completed on December 20, 2001.
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[edit] Name and inspiation
A number of streets in the Puerto Madero district have women's names,[1] thus giving the bridge its name.
According to the business executive, Bob Schmetterer, the bridge was not part of the original Puerto Madero project. A Buenos Aires advertising executive named Jorge Heymann was hired to develop an advertising campaign for Puerto Madero, but upon analysis he saw that the biggest challenge of the site was not public awareness, but rather access. A landmark footbridge, Heymann suggested, while more costly than an initial advertising campaign, would be more practical and lasting. The developer agreed with the assessment and he built the structure.[2] Alberto L. González ultimately donated the footbridge to the City of Buenos Aires in gratitude for 60 years of work in Argentina.
[edit] Dedication plaque (English translation)
Woman's bridge
Artistic donation to the city of Buenos Aires
In remuneration for 60 years of work in this country
Lorenzo Alberto Gonzalez Foundation
[edit] See also
- Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
- Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, California, United States
- Puente de la Unidad, Monterrey, Mexico
- Puente del Alamillo, Seville, Spain
[edit] References
- ^ Google Map Numerous streets with woman's names shown.
- ^ Bob Schmetterer, Leap: a revolution in creative business strategy, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, p. 148-151.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 34°36′29″S 58°21′54″W / 34.607939°S 58.364911°W
