Cleveland MLK Public Library Branch Project Sponsors: Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland Foundation Type: Open, RfQ, two-stage Eligibility: Licensed architects Language: English Location: University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio Fee: none Timeline: 27 November 2017 (5pm EST) – RfQ deadline 18 December 2017 – Notification of semi-finalists Building and budget details • Building size: 20,000 sf (1-2 levels.) • Air Space: The Developer will construct a residential apartment building in the air space above the library building as part of the overall development between 5 to 10 stories in height. • Total Project Budget: $10 million, which includes all costs of design, permits, consultants, soft costs, construction, and all contingencies. Two-Phase Design Competition Details • Phase I – Semi-finalists • Up to eight firms will be selected from the Statements of Qualifications in response to the Design Brief/ RFQ and will be interviewed remotely or in person. · Phase II – Finalists • At least 3 firms will be selected from the Phase I interviews and Statements of Qualifications and be invited to develop a design concept for the new MLK Branch and present in-person. Compensation $20,000 will be paid to each of the three selected finalists upon satisfactory completion of the competition requirements to cover design costs and travel expenses. Design Challenge The new Martin Luther King Jr. branch library (“MLK Branch”) will replace an older, outdated building that will be demolished to make way for a large residential and commercial mixed-use project in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. This offers the Library a unique opportunity to both significantly upgrade its branch facilities and move to a location directly on Euclid Avenue, one of Cleveland’s most accessible streets for public transit. It also allows the Library to design a new, iconic facility that honors the legacy of the branch’s namesake—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Air Rights above Library The Developers of Circle Square have the legal right to build in the airspace above the MLK Branch. The exact boundaries and dimension of the Developer’s air rights parcel have not yet been defined, but based upon the massing plan included as Attachment C, it is anticipated that a portion of the 5 to 10 story apartment building will be constructed in the air rights above the Library, partially covering the roof of the Library. The front of the apartment building will be set back approximately 37 feet from the front of the Library, leaving a section of the Library roof exposed. A portion of the Library roof will also remain exposed in the northeast corner, where Library mechanical equipment will likely be installed. There is no set height at which the air rights parcel must begin. Rather, the air rights parcel will begin at an elevation just above the roof of the Library and any equipment or amenities placed upon the roof. Structural columns to support the apartment building will need to be placed within the Library for which the Developers will be financially responsible. At this time the anticipated weight of the apartment building or the type of materials to be used is unknown, but these details will become available from the Developers before design concepts are developed. Although the two buildings must necessarily share some of the same building elements, the Library should be visually distinct from the apartment building and should appear as separate building. Plaza Adjacent to Library The development currently contemplates a small plaza adjacent to the Library on the east side close to Euclid Avenue. The plaza’s frontage will be approximately 67 feet long, and the depth approximately 55 feet (See Attachment C). The Developers intend to install limited hardscaping in the plaza and invite the Library to collaborate on the design. The plaza will be open to the public, and the Library may use the plaza for periodic programming on a nonexclusive basis. Therefore, the Library design should incorporate access to the plaza. To view the competition brief, go to: https://cpl.org/wp-content/uploads/procurement/mlk-design-competition-brief-and-rfq-with-attachments.pdf |
Vilnius Railway Station and Public Square Competition  Vilnius Station competition Image: ©Zaha Hadid Architects How do you find a common thread that can connect an eclectic collection of buildings, visually as well as physically, all located within a one-block site, located just across from Canada’s Parliament building in Ottawa. To identify this common thread that could tie everything together, the client turned to a design competition for answers. With the aid of consultants, [phase eins] from Berlin and experts from Canada’s’ own Université de Montréal’s School of Architecture, the client turned to an invited international format to finally settle on six teams that could rethink the site. Read More… Ottawa Parliamentary Precinct Renewal Competition  Culminating in a year’s long process, the winner of the Ottawa Parliamentary Precinct was David Chipperfield Architects, one of the six shortlisted firms designated to participate in the competition. An April 10th viewing of the public presentation of the six finalists was viewed by scores on Facebook. From the impressions gained from that event, it was apparent that Chipperfield and Behnisch were the probable frontrunners. Chipperfield’s presentation emphasized the materiality of their design as a design strategy intended to embrace the architectural context of the precinct. Together with a very straightforward circulation plan, in the end, this had to be a major factor in the jury’s decision. Read more…  After narrowing the field to three finalists and reviewing their presentations via ZOOM, the competition jury gave the nod to KUTONOTUK of Charlottesville, VA as the winner. The winning team is led by principals, Leena Cho and Matthew Jull, faculty members at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture. Second place went to FORMA from New York City, and third place was awarded to Lewis Williams with Hudson Architects from Norwich, England. Presentations of all three finalists can be seen here: https://competitions.org/2022/03/atlantic-beach-nc-boardwalk-design-competition/ 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/ AL_A Prevails over a Star-studded Cast  After over a year of planning, the choice of a site, and the establishment of criteria for the staging an international competition for a new concert hall, the process recently culminated in the choice of an architect for the design of the new Philharmonic in Belgrade, Serbia. Once a rather drab, nondescript city under the Tito regime, Belgrade has been reimagining itself to take its place as a major European city, including cultural attractions one might attach to such a claim. Read more…  Boardwalk photo: Courtesy Atlantic Beach Boardwalks, especially on oceanfront locations, have a pretty universal look. But how they fit into their local context is another matter. Topography, real estate and commerce all play a role in their function, and to some extent, design. In the case of Miami Beach, it’s primarily a promenade; Brooklyn’s 2.7 mile Coney Island boardwalk stretching all the way to Brighton Beach is a mixture of promenade and commerce, with the latter at both ends. In the case of Atlantic City, it’s mostly about retail.
Read more…  Winning entry – Hyunjoon Min Architects Office National Library of Korea Data Preservation Center Competition Retrofitting existing buildings is nothing new. The abandonment of old factory structures, especially in the northeast of the U.S., has been occurring at a rapid pace ever since those businesses ceased to be profitable in the face of foreign competition. However, in North America, retrofitting those structures has seldom been the subject of a design competition. In Korea, the recent plethora of design competitions for all types of projects has also included several for providing a new life for abandoned buildings. Read more… Countryside Dilemmas – New Rural Planning  1st Place – ©Tianjin University Team Planning used to be at the bottom of Chinese students’ lists of design priorities. One western architect, whose firm was at the forefront in the design and implementation of numerous planning projects in China, surmised that planning was an area that received little attention in the university curricula. So when planning for a major metropolitan area has occurred, the Chinese have almost always turned to outside international firms for ideas and implementation. Read more… |