A Design Team Search for the Pierscape at Navy Pier RFQ
Sponsor: Navy Pier, Inc. Type of competition: RFQ, three-stage Language: English Location: Chicago Eligibility: Qualified design teams Registration Fee: None Jury: CHAIRMAN Ms. Sarah Garvey – Retired, The Boeing Company John G. Shedd Aquarium
VICE-CHAIRMAN Mr. Pat Daly – The Daly Group LLC
SECRETARY/TREASURER Ms. Andrea Zopp – The Chicago Urban League
EX-OFFICIO Mr. David Mosena – The Museum of Science and Industry
EX-OFFICIO Mr. James R. Reilly – Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority Mr. Marc Brooks – MKMB Corporation
Ms. Nora Daley Conroy – Chicago Metropolis 2020
Mr. Roberto Herencia – BXM Holdings Inc.
Ms. Donna LaPietra – Kurtis Productions, LTD.
Mr. Terry Peterson – The Chicago Transit Authority
Mr. John Schmidt – Mayer Brown LLP
Mr. Kurt Summers – The Cook County Board of Commissioners
Mr. Kelly R. Welsh – The Northern Trust Company
Ms. Marilynn K. Gardner – CEO and General Manager Awards: Design teams invited to Phase III (5 teams) will each receive a stipend of $50,000 Timeline: Phase I: 15 September 2011 – Online Pre-submittal meeting 20 September 2011 – Notification of Intent to Participate due 22 September 2011 – Last day for written questions 29 September 2011 – Last response date for answers 06 October 2011 – Design team portfolio and qualifications due 20 October 2011 – Shortlisted design teams notified (10 teams selected)
Phase II: 10 November 2011 – Design team organization and approach due Phase III: 24 January 2012 – Design proposals and fee estimates due Design challenge: Navy Pier provides the opportunity for a Design Team to have a profound impact on one of the most important and visible public places in Chicago. The Pier is the most popular attraction in Chicago, drawing nearly nine million visitors annually. Design Teams interested in participating in this search process should be comprised of representatives from landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, communication and graphic design, lighting design, art curation, engineering, and other relevant disciplines. These self-organized teams will be asked to submit creative solutions for the Pier’s public realm. The search will culminate with the selection in early 2012 of designers to work with Navy Pier to implement a new design for the Pierscape.
The Pierscape Design Team search is an important part of a larger Navy Pier initiative entitled The Centennial Vision, the goal of which is to make Navy Pier a truly iconic and world-class destination. As the Pier approaches its centennial, now is the time to look at future possibilities for the Pier. It is important to preserve the heritage of the “People’s Pier” while refreshing and improving its public spaces. We are confident that the framework that we have put together is visionary, practical, and achievable. The Pierscape design should follow suit so that it is inspirational, feasible, and gets built.
Submission requirements: Unless noted otherwise, all material submitted in response to this RFP should be done as 8½” X 11” PDF’s uploaded digitally to the Pierscape RFP website, navypiervision.com/rfp. Design Teams should provide a thorough submittal using the guidelines presented herein. Submittals should be straightforward and concise. |
Young Architects in Competitions When Competitions and a New Generation of Ideas Elevate Architectural Quality 
by Jean-Pierre Chupin and G. Stanley Collyer
published by Potential Architecture Books, Montreal, Canada 2020
271 illustrations in color and black & white
Available in PDF and eBook formats
ISBN 9781988962047
What do the Vietnam Memorial, the St. Louis Arch, and the Sydney Opera House have in common? These world renowned landmarks were all designed by architects under the age of 40, and in each case they were selected through open competitions. At their best, design competitions can provide a singular opportunity for young and unknown architects to make their mark on the built environment and launch productive, fruitful careers. But what happens when design competitions are engineered to favor the established and experienced practitioners from the very outset? This comprehensive new book written by Jean-Pierre Chupin (Canadian Competitions Catalogue) and Stanley Collyer (COMPETITIONS) highlights for the crucial role competitions have played in fostering the careers of young architects, and makes an argument against the trend of invited competitions and RFQs. The authors take an in-depth look at past competitions won by young architects and planners, and survey the state of competitions through the world on a region by region basis. The end result is a compelling argument for an inclusive approach to conducting international design competitions. Download Young Architects in Competitions for free at the following link: https://crc.umontreal.ca/en/publications-libre-acces/
Night view of the memorial tapestry from Independence Avenue, with Gehry’s sketch of the Normandy cliffs.
Explaining the contributions of a World War II hero and later President of the United States on a very modest site on Independence Avenue just off the Washington Mall is tantamount to asking an author to describe the life of this person in no more than one paragraph. But on September 17th, after a long and bumpy journey, lasting almost 20 years and navigating a warren of the DC approval processes and public scrutiny, the Eisenhower Memorial finally was dedicated and opened to the public. Designed by Frank Gehry, it has received mixed reviews, the majority being more positive. But most have pointed out that the memorial is more impressive at night than in full daylight. This is due primarily to the illumination of an almost block-long metallic tapestry—featuring a sketch by Gehry, which depicts his interpretation of the cliffs of the Normandy coastline where the Americans landed on D-Day. Read more…
Professional winner: Brooklyn Bridge Forest (image © Pilot Projects Design Collective)
While looking for new adventures on a visit to New York City, friends suggested that I take time to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge—certainly a New York icon. For those intending to undertake this trek across the bridge for the first time, the bridge consists of layers, with a large platform for pedestrians on top of a lower level for cars and the metro system. Traversing this connection for the first time between Manhattan and Brooklyn is not just about getting from one place to another, but experiencing a great scenic view of both boroughs and occasionally interacting with other bridge crossers. As for the latter, they provide a flavor of the city’s demographics, as opposed to similar experiences one might have of the city’s inhabitants when riding the city’s subway system. Read more… Another Competition for Moscow’s Expanding Subway Network
Image © Zaha Hadid Architects
Even under Stalin, Moscow subway stations represented the crown jewels of the city’s projects when it came to design. In more recent years, the emphasis placed on modern design in the city’s expanding metro rail network has resulted in some major new projects, and this year’s competitions for two stations was no exception: the Klenoviy Boulevard Station 2 won by Zaha Hadid Architects (London), and the Prospect Marshala Zhukova station, won by the ASADOV Architectural Bureau (Moscow). Read More… Hangang District Urban Design International Master Competition
1st place entry by Dominique Perrault Architecture (image ©Dominique Perrault Architect)
China’s planning priorities for their urban areas experienced a sharp turn after the post-Mao reforms took place. During the early post-WWII period, when Soviet influence in the early urbanization of China dominated, industrial development took precedence over all other issues, with heritage, conservation, residential planning, and the amenities associated with it, being almost entirely neglected. Read more…
Winning design by ©Moreau Kusunoki /Genton
Although one might normally assume that local firms participating in a competition might have a clear advantage over foreign competitors, this has seldom been the case: just see Sydney’s Opera House, won by a Danish architect, and Toronto’s City Hall, won by a Finn—as evidence that well devised competition briefs as adequate documentation can create a level playing field for potential competitors, regardless of their location.
Read more… |
