[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Dion

When administration was asked to explain why city staff recommended opening design talks directly with Calatrava, John Hubbell, the city's general manager of transportation, said, "He has a world reputation for designing very nice bridges."
But, Mr. Hubbell, he didn't always have that reputation. Calatrava was unknown when he opened his architectural firm in Zurich, Switzerland. It was only thanks to a local competition that gave him an opportunity to compete that he won his first major commission a year later. He designed Zurich's Stadelhofen Railway Station, thus launching his successful career.

edit: didn't read the whole article.