Beyond the Park Avenue CenterlineSponsor: Fisher Brothers
Type: Open, United States
Location: New York City
Eligibility: Open competition, but entrants must be US citizens.
Fee: None
Awards: A grand prize winner selected by a jury will receive $25,000 and a popular vote will determine a $5,000 prize winner.
Timetable:
15 December 2017 – Entry form deadline
2 February 2018 – Design proposal submission deadline
23 February 2018 – Selected participants notified Jury:
• Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder, PAU and Professor, Columbia University
• Winston Fisher, Partner, Fisher Brothers
• Jon Kessler, Artist and Professor, Columbia University’s School of the Arts
• Signe Nielsen, Principal, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects
• David Rockwell, Founder and President, Rockwell Group
• Samantha Rudin, Senior Vice President, Rudin Management
• Michael Speaks, PH.D., Dean of The School of Architecture and Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University Design Challenge: Park Avenue, one of the world’s premiere thoroughfares, is traditionally known for its tall buildings that are home to Fortune 500 companies. The medians of Park Avenue, or the “centerlines,” are traditionally characterized by plantings and periodic sculpture installations. Park Avenue medians represent a traditional element of New York City but also provide an opportunity for reinvention. Other areas of New York City, such as the High Line, have successfully transformed into an exciting destination for city dwellers and visitors alike. Fisher Brothers is pleased to sponsor a $30,000 privately-funded design competition using the Park Avenue medians (between 46th – 57th Streets) as a canvas for collecting visionary design proposals with the potential to enliven Park Avenue’s commercial district. The goal of this competition is to foster creativity and challenge participants to think outside the box; to propose exciting ideas that have never been considered possible for the medians; and to reimagine the existing urban landscape. We want ideas that bring Park Avenue into the 21st century. Fisher Brothers urges competition participants to think “beyond the centerline,” using the medians as a blank canvas for creative ideas to engage the community and reimagine Park Avenue. Designs should be considered a seed that when planted will completely change the dynamic of the Park Avenue centerline and the Midtown East neighborhood. We encourage you to conceptualize this project in any way that inspires you and the parameters remain broad to allow for maximum creativity. Up to 10 competitors selected by an esteemed jury will be invited to publicly display their designs at Park Avenue Plaza, a building prominently located on Park Avenue and 52nd Street, in February 2018. For more information, go to: www.FBDesignCom.com |
Plaza de Cesar Chavez Photo: ©xAtsukex
The City of San Jose has finally reach a consensus on a site for Breeze of Innovation, the winning entry in the city’s recent Urban Confluence competition. Urban Confluence Silicon Valley announced they have made the important decision to consider building Breeze of Innovation at Plaza de Cesar Chavez instead of Arena Green. This decision was made because of challenges associated with Arena Green including environmental concerns with the riparian corridor, regulatory challenges, and air traffic noise. After re-visiting all publicly owned and privately owned sites in and around downtown San Jose, the board of directors came to the unanimous conclusion that Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the cultural and historic center of downtown San José, is the best location for Breeze of Innovation. Read more… 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
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Rendering: Oyler Wu Collaborative/Courtesy Pritzker Military Museum & Library
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