Request for Proposals

Transcription

1 Victoria Park Entrance Public Art Request for Proposals 1. Introduction The City of Kitchener will incorporate Public Art as an integral component of the proposed pedestrian entrance to Victoria Park. The design for this major new entrance to the park is currently underway. Artists are invited to submit proposals. A jury will select an artist to collaborate with the Landscape Architects responsible for the overall design and implementation of this exciting project. 2. Background The site is located at the foot of Gaukel Street, where it meets Joseph Street. The old City Hall clock tower is located in Victoria Park at the terminus of the view along Gaukel Street from City Hall on King Street. A significant pedestrian entrance to the Park in this location has long been envisioned and was initiated with the placement of the old Clock Tower here several years ago. The importance of Gaukel Street and the park entrance to the urban fabric of Downtown Kitchener was presented in the Young/Gaukel Corridor Master Plan report (sketch attached). In response, and as part of the ongoing efforts to revitalize Kitchener s downtown, Kitchener City Council established a budget of $2.4 million for the redevelopment of Gaukel Street and the creation of a major landscaped pedestrian entrance to Victoria Park. A consulting team, GSP Group, was selected to design and implement the park entrance as the first phase of this project. 3. Victoria Park Entrance Design The overall project objectives as follows were established to guide the design process: serve as the primary pedestrian entrance to Victoria Park from Downtown Kitchener provide an appropriate terminus to the Gaukel Street vista and 'promenade' from City Hall provide an appropriate visual and functional 'court' for the Clock Tower provide a suitably scaled and detailed pedestrian space for ceremonial or spontaneous events accommodate an ease of pedestrian movement provide a comfortably sized and furnished space for informal pedestrian use have places to sit comfortably in the shade at the edge of the space have a defined 'entrance' at the frontage of Joseph Street to guide pedestrians include the use of water as a feature within the space include full canopy trees to define the space at a scale compatible with the adjacent 'Commons' use materials and design details appropriate to the historical and functional context include a generous use of plant materials to create a garden setting

2 A design process was initiated in January 2004 and several concepts for the park entrance were presented to the public for consideration. A preferred concept was selected for further refinement, which included the following features and qualities: A significant architectural gateway of stone masonry construction to define the pedestrian entrance in a manner similar to other park entrances with a design echoing the qualities of the existing gateway at the corner of Courtland and David Streets. A small plaza at the edge of Joseph Street defined by the gateway. A naturalistic landscape design with an informal lawn bordered by canopy trees and meandering, curvilinear walkways Water feature designed to appear as a pond with rocky edges and a natural form A crossing of the water on a causeway or bridge by the primary pedestrian walkway A base for the clock tower of natural cut stone which forms a geometric edge at the pond See also Report and Preferred Concept Sketch at the end of this document. The Clock Tower The primary focal point of both the Gaukel Street streetscape and the Victoria Park Entrance is the old city hall clock tower. Its setting within the park is consistent with the Romantic Landscape design theme for the park as a whole. It appears as an architectural antiquity at the edge of a large lawn bordered by mature trees, carefully placed in the landscape composition. It provides a destination and invites the park visitor to explore further along the walkways. It also provides the terminus of the vista along Gaukel Street from City Hall. It is critical that the visual importance of the Clock Tower be maintained and enhanced in the overall design for the entrance landscape setting and that vertical elements or other distracting elements not be placed within views to the Clock Tower.

3 The Water Feature The water feature has an organic layout, partially wrapping the base of the Clock Tower. It is integrated into the surrounding landscape through the use of site grading, planting materials and stone. Lighting and water effects will be designed to enhance the romantic landscape character of the park, which is characterized by the meandering pathways and sweeps of planting. The design team envisions the rock treatment at the edge of the water as fractured, horizontal, layered, sometimes crumbling stone as suggested by escarpment outcroppings. Planting will suggest a riparian edge in select locations. The stone seat/step edge to be constructed at the base of the clock tower will have 10 stone veneer risers stepping down to the waters edge with underwater lighting creating a glow of soft light. The placement of the terraced rocks and seat steps will provide many opportunities to be close to the water, which will vary in depth from 6 to 2. Subtle effects of water motion and light will be achieved through the design of the mechanical and electrical system. Small waterfalls, shallow moving water, misting effects as well as calm areas are being considered. A circulation and water quality system will provide an artificially controlled water system using mechanical and/or biological methods to achieve a natural appearance which is safe, clean and easily maintained. This presents a unique challenge to the designers, to create a water feature which appears natural yet cannot support a natural aquatic life system for safety and maintenance reasons. The project team will be involved in preparing detailed design for the entire entrance landscape setting, including the water feature. The design team includes the project Landscape Architects, water feature Architect, Civil Engineer and Lighting Consultant. The overall project construction budget includes allowances for the construction of the water feature, including the waterproofed concrete basin, stone surface, seat steps at the clock tower, terraced rock edges and planting. These allowances are separate from the public art budget. 4. Public Art Project Description One of the primary purposes of the Victoria Park Entrance project is to provide an inviting and enjoyable place, which enhances the quality of experience in downtown Kitchener. It is intended to be a destination, as well as a gateway to the park. The incorporation of Public Art into this setting is important in making this a special and inspiring place for visitors. The project design team has determined that the incorporation of Public Art into this setting should have a focus on the water feature. The water feature is the most challenging aspect of the design. Creating a landscape setting where the water feature is to appear natural, yet must control and limit the form and any aquatic life for safety and maintenance considerations, presents a unique challenge. The water, by necessity, will have an absence of life. It is our intention to breathe life into this setting through the use of art. The successful integration of public art into this project is critical to its success. Process Invited artists are requested to submit brief proposals for projects that fall within the proposed budget and timeline, presenting artwork for the site that brings the water

4 feature to life, to work in collaboration on development with the project consultant team. The detail design for the water feature will proceed concurrently with the Public Art selection process, however, there is an important role for the artist, upon project start up, to provide design input which will effect the final details for the foundations of the water feature, to integrate the art project as necessary. The successful artist will work closely with the steering committee and project consultants throughout the project. It is essential that the artist be available to work with the design team in the preparation of construction drawings for the overall landscape setting, and primarily the water feature, during the initial period from May 15 to June 15, This will provide the opportunity for the artist to ensure that the constructed setting is designed to incorporate their work to its best advantage without costly construction change orders or later modifications. 5. Competition Information and Guidelines The site The site is located on Joseph Street at Gaukel Street in Downtown Kitchener. The attached drawings illustrate the setting and its context within the Young/Gaukel Corridor Master Plan. The plan for the Victoria Park Entrance represents the extreme limits of the site for the installation of the public art, however, the required relationship to the water feature will likely focus this further to that area of the site. Technical Considerations The following must be considered in the design and execution of this Public Art installation: It is an outdoor setting and will be subject to all climatic conditions Proximity to or within the proposed water feature could provide extreme moisture and freeze/thaw conditions The site is a public park with limited security and limited casual surveillance where vandalism risk is high Materials and construction methods chosen must be non-corrosive and durable and provide a permanent, low maintenance structure Any above grade structure must consider the possibility of climbing and shall be designed and constructed to prevent any risk of injury Anchoring or fastening shall be detailed by the artist to ensure security of the installation and prevent tampering or removal All design details, materials and construction methods shall allow for the integration of the installation with other constructed elements of the site and shall be subject to review and approval by the Project Steering Committee.

5 6. Project Timing March - Stage One Competition development The Call-For Entry will be designed with site Landscape Architects, Arts Co-ordinator and PAWG representative. Based on approval by PAWG, approximately 10 Regional artists will be invited (as selected by PAWG) to submit CV and brief proposals for the project with a deadline of April 21. April Stage Two Selection of Artist A jury compatible with the Public Art Policy as created by Arts Co-ordinator will review the submissions and may request brief interviews with finalists. The selected artist will agree to work in collaboration with the project Landscape Architects. May Stage Three Project Development and Creation Starting in May, the selected artist will work intensively on contract, project design and materials and will collaborate with the Landscape Architects towards putting a timeline in place for site preparation, ordering of materials, creation, installation. It is critical that the artist is available from May 15 to June 15, 2004 to work with the project team. Installation Stage Four Depending on the nature of this project, the artwork could be installed Fall 2004 or Spring **To be determined by Landscape Architects and Artist. 7. Jury (As managed by Arts and Culture Coordinator) Jury Chair (Selected by Co-ordinator) (Non-voting) Arts Co-ordinator, non-voting City L.A. William Sleeth Patty/Chris from GSP PAWG rep Neighbourhood rep/user Council member Artist 8. Budget Overall budget (City % for Art) $45, Project $20, $65, To be set up as a single City WTBI account by Co-ordinator Overhead: $6, Marketing, mailouts - In-House Jury (catering and fees) Plaque Opening (unless covered by other budget) up to Invitations (printing could GSP do design?) up to Transportation costs for artist meeting/fee Up to $2500 Installation up to $2500

6 8 Admin Assistance to Co-ordinator Contingency/Misc 500 Artist Budget: $59, * To include a) Artist Insurance and Floater b) Materials, Transportation, rentals, sub-contracting as negotiated with the City c) Installation costs over $ d) Artist Fee of 10-20% of Artist Budget e) 1% contingency budget 9. Submission Requirements Deadline for Submissions Submissions shall be received by the Arts Co-ordinator no later than 12:00 noon, Wednesday April 21, Regrettably, submissions made after that time cannot be considered. We regret that incomplete submissions will not be considered. Mail Submissions to: Erina Harris, Arts and Culture Co-ordinator Kitchener City Hall, 7 th floor, 200 King St W, Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G Submission materials: All materials to be on 8 ½ x 11 paper, one sided, 8 copies of each item 1. CV, up to 5 pgs including reviews/articles slides of past work, Public Art preferred, * include slide list, labeled slides 3. 2 page proposal/project description (include directions and costs for maintenance) 4. Draft budget including insurance, installation, materials 5. Three references for public artwork 6. Timeline complete critical path up until complete installation 7. Complete application form

7 CITY OF KITCHENER PUBLIC ART COMPETITION Victoria Park Entrance JURIED COMPETITION Official Submission Form: PLEASE PRINT Name: Full Mailing Address: Phone: Fax: Address: Date: Signature: CHECKLIST: 1. CV - up to five (5) pages including reviews/articles 2. Ten (10) slides of past work, public art preferred - Slide list, labeled slides with arrow 3. Two (2) page proposal/project description (Include directions and costs for maintenance) 4. Draft budget including insurance, installation 5. Three (3) references for public artwork 6. Timeline complete critical path until full installation 7. Complete application form PLEASE CITE Competition: Victoria Park Entrance for inquiries and submission Please mail or deliver submissions to: Erina Harris, Arts and Culture Co-ordinator, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, 7 th Floor, Box 1118, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 erina.harris@city.kitchener.on.ca to arrive by 12:00 noon within the offices on the deadline dates. Deadline: April 21, 2004 NOON

8 REPORT Report To: Councillor G. Lorentz, Chair and Members of Community Service Committee Date of Meeting: March 22, 2004 Submitted By: Prepared By: Ward(s) Involved: Rob Shamess, P. Eng., Director of Engineering Larry Lynch, Manager Engineering Infrastructure West - Victoria Park Date of Report: March 11, 2004 Report No.: DTS Subject: VICTORIA PARK ENTRANCE FEATURE STATUS REPORT RECOMMENDATION: For Information Purposes Only That Council embrace and support the design concept for the entrance feature to Victoria Park, located at the west terminus of Gaukel Street, and identified as a significant focus in the Gaukel/Young Corridor Master Plan(May 2002). BACKGROUND: The City of Kitchener has engaged the services of the GSP Group and their team of design experts to research, facilitate a community partnership, develop concepts and create an entrance plaza to Victoria Park, at the park s eastern limit of Joseph Street at Gaukel Street. The scope of work as identified by DTS Engineering and Community Services Design and Development staff focused on, but was not limited to, the following: 1. Create a plaza and garden setting to serve as an entrance to Victoria Park and a court to the Clock Tower. 2. Design a setting consistent with the Romantic style of Victoria Park consisting of meandering walkways, open lawn areas, sitting areas, shrub and perennial plantings and the use of canopy trees to frame and enclose the views. 3. Select materials appropriate to the Park s historical context. 4. Implement an appropriate water feature which will contribute to making this setting an attractive destination.

9 5. Place an emphasis on the role of public art in this project to attract visitors. 6. Enhance the long term success of this landscape project through appropriate horticultural design and practices. 7. Incorporate CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) and barrier free principles to enhance user safety and function and enhance lighting to facilitate safe night time pedestrian movement and display of the features at night. The objective is to create a pedestrian friendly environment that will enhance the park while linking it to the new and vibrant Kitchener downtown. In addition to the primary role in creating the Victoria Park Entrance the GSP Group and their engineering consultants MTE Consultants Inc. were asked to create a new intersection alignment at Joseph Street and Gaukel Street that would facilitate some form of traffic calming, create potential for on-street parking near the KOR gallery, ease crossing for pedestrians, and develop an improved cross-section to enhance the pedestrian friendly vision along the Gaukel Street corridor. REPORT: The Victoria Park Entrance Feature project team has embraced the opportunity to create a new and people oriented setting, that will become yet another jewel in Kitchener s parks. This legacy type project has included participation from staff, the downtown businesses, KDBA and most importantly, the real stewards of Victoria Park, the neighbourhood. The project team has developed a very aggressive timeline for implementation of the various design/construction phasing, milestone dates include: PROJECT INITIATION - December 9, 2003 KEY STAKEHOLDERS/STAFF PROJECT TEAM WKSHP December 17, 2003 PUBLIC MEETING #1 January 20, 2004 PRESENTATION TO DLG February 19, 2004 PRESENTATION TO COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE March 22, 2004 PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE AND INFORMATION CENTRE March 24, 2004 INITIATE FINAL DETAIL DESIGN March 25, 2004 ADVERTISE TENDER FOR CONSTRUCTION May 12, 2004 COUNCIL AWARD OF TENDER June 14, 2004 COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION June 28, 2004 COMPLETION OF ENTRANCE FEATURE CONSTRUCTION August 27, 2004

10 FINANCIAL The Gaukel Street vista and the development of the Victoria Park entrance feature is a three year project that is being financed through a partnership between the City of Kitchener, and the Ontario Superbuild Millennium Partnership initiative. The Phase I initiative is the design and construction of the Victoria Park entrance feature which includes a $600, Superbuild component. The total budget for this phase is $1.2 million, which includes the demolition of existing site buildings and site environmental cleanup in 2003, at a cost of $176, The total budget for design, contract administration and construction is $1,024, COMMUNICATIONS: Three public forums were held to solicit community input in preparing design concepts. Subsequently, presentations to both the Downtown Leadership Group and the Community Services Committee of Council provided for review, comment and project direction from both staff and Council. Ongoing press releases and concept drawings have been provided to the community through Your Kitchener, the City of Kitchener web site, and through advertisements and press releases in the Record. CONCLUSION: The design and development of the Victoria Park Entrance Feature has been a collaborative project between staff, our consultants and the community. The support of Council in this endeavour, and the endorsement of the final concept plan, will allow the project team to move forward with this high profile community pride project. Larry Lynch, Director of Engineering And Victoria Entrance Feature Project Manager Rob Shamess, Manager Engineering Infrastructure Gord Stewart, General Manager of Development & Technical Services

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