Bernardo Quintana Arrioja
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29 October 1919
Bernardo Quintana Arrioja | |
|---|---|
 Bust of Bernardo Quintana in the campus of Conalep Ing. Bernardo Quintana Arrioja | |
| Born | Bernardo Quintana Arrioja 29 October 1919 |
| Died | 12 August 1984 (aged 64) Mexico City |
| Engineering career | |
| Projects | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Airport |
Bernardo Quintana Arrioja (29 October 1919, in Mexico City – 12 August 1984) was a Mexican civil engineer who contributed to his country's infrastructure during the second part of the twentieth century. Bernardo Quintana studied civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and made important contributions to engineering by developing, adopting and spreading innovative technologies in the construction of large civil projects. He contributed a generation infrastructure projects in a number of areas of Mexico.[1]
In 1947, he founded Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA) ("Associated Civil Engineers"), an engineering firm for high technology projects that grew to be a "massive construction multinational",[2] building much of the infrastructure of modern Mexico. These projects included the Mexico City Metro, the 100-km tunnel to drain the sewage from Mexico City, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, stadiums such as Estadio Azteca, Palacio de los Deportes, Foro Sol, and other sport stadiums such as Hipódromo de las Américas, C.U Stadium and the Olympic Pool. Some of the Airports ICA constructed are the Mexico City International Airport, the Acapulco International Airport in Acapulco and the Cancún International Airport. Malls he constructed are: Perisur, Plaza Satélite, Bosques de las Lomas. Other contributions include highways such as: Mexico City-Acapulco, Mexico City-Veracruz, Cuernavaca – Acapulco and the modernization of the highway from Mexico City to Querétaro. In Mexico City constructed Periferico road among others. Hospitals: Centro Medico La Raza, Hospital de Pemex and Centro Medico Nacional ABC also known as Hospital Ingles. Energy-related projects include the Thermoelectric Head offices in Laguna Verde. He remained as head of ICA until his death in 1984 and is interred at the Rotunda of Illustrious Persons.[1]
He studied in the Colegio Franco Inglés and in the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria. Quintana belonged to the first post-revolutionary generation. This post-revolutionary generation was a time of instability and major changes that changed the third decade of the twentieth century in Mexico. In many ways, Mexico twenties years accounted for the final dissolution of the current practices during the Porfirio Díaz government and step towards the consolidation of a political system which lead to a new era of construction along the countryand Bernardo adopted a philosophy of commitment to service "I will do for my country, be for my country and to grow for my country.[3] In school, he was active in the Wachachara football team and social club.[3]
In 1938, at age 18, he began his studies at the National School of Engineers in UNAM and completed in 1942. The following year he published his professional thesis.[4] He married Martha Rosa Isaac Ahumada when he was 21. Their eldest child, Bernardo, is the current director firm his father founded.[3] Other children are: Marta, Maria Isabel, Claudia, Cecilia and Luis. In this way he was ready to proceed to the qualification.[4] In 1943 Bernardo Quintana decided to launch another career, now studying architecture to complete the engineering. He supported various academic, cultural and sports activities in this university, as the Symphony Orchestra of the Palace the Mineria, the Pumas football club and built schools of Engineering, Architecture, Commerce, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and philosophy, as well as laboratories Chemical Engineering and Sciences Tower.[4]
ICA
Quintana founded the Ingenieros Civiles Asociados or ICA in 1947 which has managed engineering and construction works in 21 countries. In 1970, ICA became international and started building in Central and South America. By 1976, the ICA Group had more than 2 000 shareholders and 70 000 employees, both in Mexico and abroad. In 1991 Bernardo Quintana as the executive director of ICA, helped and completed the acquisition of Cementos Tolteca which was from the British company Blue Circle. ICA has worked in several countries in Latin America since the seventies, and in 1988, this company entered the U.S. market. Recently, it began work in Europe and Asia.[5]
ICA is divided by four main business units: civil construction, industrial construction, infrastructure operations and housing. Civil construction realizes basic infrastructure projects and large-scale development of urban infrastructure. Industrial construction provides engineering, construction and industrial plants maintenance.
Infrastructure operation and maintains road systems, water distribution, wastewater treatment, airports, underground parking, housing, marketing real estate developments of the highest quality, both commercial and residential parks centers and office buildings in different cities. Up to now, ICA has participated in more than 180 highway projects, 61 dams, 38 hospitals, 24 power plants, 19 stadiums and sports centers, and 10 housing projects completed along with other 24 projects under implementation, obtaining a total of 40,000 homes. ICA has partnered with leading companies in the world to initiate and develop new projects.[6]
ICA foundation supports the following organizations: Engineering Institute of the UNAM Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) AMABPAC Advisory Council on Earthquakes (CoCoS) College of Civil Engineers of Mexico (Colegio de Ingenieros Civiles de México) [7]
