the Square Design Competition Design Brief. Overview. Competition Theme: PLAY. Competition Location: City of Victoria

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2 the Square Design Competition Design Brief Overview Competition Theme: PLAY Every great city has a dynamic public square where people of all ages gather to play and celebrate. For the City of Victoria that place is Centennial Square, in the heart of Victoria s vibrant downtown. The City of Victoria, in partnership with the Downtown Victoria Business Association, is seeking creative solutions to integrate play into Centennial Square this year. The the Square design competition invites qualified teams and individuals that submit design concepts to unleash the playful possibilities of the square this summer! Competition Location: City of Victoria Victoria is the capital city of the Province of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the City has stunning water and mountain vistas, unique heritage architecture, a thriving arts, culture and technology scene, and hosts over three million visitors annually as one of the top tourist destinations in Canada. Victoria is located within the traditional territory of the Lekwungen People, who are represented today by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Lekwungen refers to the people and the original language of this land, and a culture that has been here for thousands of years. The year 2017 marks Canada s 150th sesquicentennial, which will be recognized with celebrations and events across the country. The City of Victoria has adopted 2017: A Year of Reconciliation as a theme to guide local celebrations and events throughout the year. The City of Victoria has a population of 83,000 people, of which approximately 3,000 live in the downtown core. The number of residents living downtown is forecast to increase dramatically; population projections anticipate an additional 10,000 residents over the next 30 years. Recognizing that there are currently few opportunities for families with children living in the downtown core, the City is seeking innovative and creative solutions to integrate opportunities for play into the everyday fabric of the downtown public realm. 2 the Square Design Competition city of victoria

3 Project Site: Centennial Square Centennial Square is located in Downtown Victoria. The square is approximately 7,600sq m (82,000 sq ft.) and is bordered by Victoria s heritage City Hall, the offices of the Capital Regional District, and the McPherson Playhouse Theatre. The site of the current Centennial Square has a rich history. Prior to European settlement, this site and the surrounding area was used to harvest the bark of the bitter cherry tree, which grew alongside a series of creeks that meandered through this area before draining into the ocean. In the mid-19th century, this site formed the original heart of Victoria s historic Chinatown, which expanded to encompass six city blocks and a population of 3,000 people at its peak in the early 20th century. Today, the Chinatown district is located directly adjacent to Centennial Square and was designated a national historic site in The current square was originally constructed in 1963, and features strong modern design character with a large distinctive fountain and curved steps. A renovation to the western half of the square ( Spirit Square ) was completed in 2009, including the addition of a covered stage area, native plantings, and First Nations Spirit Poles. Centennial Square is one of the City s most popular outdoor event and festival venues. On average, there are programmed activities in the square 130 days each year, ranging from food truck festivals and dance classes, to outdoor markets and concert performances. Outside of these programmed event days the square is underutilized, especially during weekdays. Increasing daily play and vibrancy while allowing the square to continue to function as a primary outdoor event venue is a key objective of this design competition. Additional information on special events programming is available for download on the project website. The original portion of the square is aging, and is in need of repair and/or renovation. Concurrent to this designbuild competition, the City of Victoria will be undertaking a planning exercise to guide future long-term renovations to the square. This work is anticipated to consider the future of adjacent facilities (including office space and parking structure), recommended future design changes to better support large festivals and events, mechanisms to increase daily visits to the square, and the provision of a permanent play opportunity. Lessons learned through the addition of temporary play value in the Square through this competition will be used as an input to this long-term planning exercise. Project Objectives The purpose of the the Square Design Competition is to select a team to design, build and install a child-friendly, playful, playable feature that appeals to a wide range of ages. Design teams are encouraged to explore unconventional approaches to play that contribute to the architectural character and public realm experience in Centennial Square. Teams must consider the following project objectives in their submissions: Play value: Design submissions should clearly demonstrate how they will add play value, interactivity, and fun to the Square. Relationship with events: Design submissions should be designed to be easily moved within the Square as required to accommodate event set-up. The City of Victoria will be responsible for costs and labour associated with moving the installation as required. Local context: Design submissions should fit within the local context of downtown Victoria, and the project site. Teams are encouraged to consider local themes, including the context of Chinese and Lekwungen history of this site. Robustness/ability to be relocated: Design submissions should be robust enough to withstand heavy public use over multiple seasons, and that may be suitable to be relocated to another public space in the City in subsequent years. city of victoria the Square Design Competition 3

4 Design Parameters The installation must be situated within the designated site boundary. Please see Site Plan which outlines the boundary available to the design teams. To ensure installations are movable to accommodate event set-up, designers should consider the following guidelines: Installations should be able to be easily dismantled using common tools and equipment (no specialized equipment such as cranes, electric lifts, etc.). Larger installations should be able to be dismantled into individual components/pieces so that each component or piece can be lifted and moved by two people. Each individual component or piece should not exceed 200lbs. Overall installation or individual components should be able to be moved within Centennial Square using a four wheel dolly (2'x3' surface). In the event that the installation is required to be removed off-site, the overall installation or individual components should be designed to easily fit on the bed of a City of Victoria flatbed truck(s) (Max. 8' long x 6' wide). Additional design parameters are: Access to power and water: 110V power and water are available on the site during installation. There will be no permanent access to power and water outside of the installation period. Security: 24-hour security is provided at Centennial Square. However, installations should be robust enough to not require frequent security monitoring. Height of Structure: Structures must comply with the B.C. Building Code standards for height. Taller structures may be required to include fall protection measures in design. Play safety: Design submissions should consider safe play environments, including setbacks from surrounding streets. Accessibility: Installations should not impede primary access points to City Hall, the parking structure, or surrounding offices. Key access points and popular throughways have been included on the Site Diagram (available on the project website). Durability/maintenance: Materials and finishes should be designed to withstand rain, wind, and abrasion from general use. Use of common and easily accessible materials is encouraged to enable the City of Victoria to undertake periodic repair and maintenance as required. Installations should not include vegetation. Eligibility Anyone may enter this competition, however, criteria and submission requirements lend themselves to expertise in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, industrial design, contemporary art and other related fields. Design teams from outside of Canada are permitted to provide a submission. If selected, it is expected that international applicants will have the document and insurance requirements in place to complete the design, development and installation. Teams based outside of Canada are encouraged to include a local representative that is able to manage the delivery and installation of the project. All travel expenses must be covered within the project budget; no additional funds will be provided for travel expenses. Submissions by design teams that have a range of skill sets and expertise are encouraged. Jurors and the organizations they represent are not eligible to enter the competition. City Councillors, officers, and employees of the City of Victoria are not eligible to enter the competition. Awards The winning design will be selected by a jury. The winning team will receive a $5,000 (CAD) award and up to $50,000 (CAD) toward the design refinement, structural engineer review, materials, fabrication and installation. The jury may also select up to two other designs for an honourable mention. A People s Choice Award for the most popular design as selected through a public voting process will be given an honourable mention and will receive a $1,000 (CAD) cash prize. 4 the Square Design Competition city of victoria

5 Selecting the Winning Design A qualified jury will be appointed to judge the submissions and select the winning entry based on a pre-established set of judging criteria. The application of this judging criteria to select the winner shall be wholly at the jury s discretion. The jury may also consider other relevant factors at its discretion. Judging Criteria The Jury will give consideration to the following aspects in evaluating submissions: Play Value: Ability for the concept to provide play value. Ability to Accommodate Events: Ability to easily and affordably be relocated to accommodate special event programming as required. Local Context: Distinctive and captivating design that contributes to the public realm experience of Centennial Square. Consideration of local context, themes, and/or history. Robustness: Durability of design and materials. Suitability to be used over multiple seasons. Potential to relocate the installation to another public space in the City in subsequent years. Feasibility: Feasibility of design and capacity of design team to deliver the project. Awards The winning design will be selected by a jury. The winning team will receive a $5,000 (CAD) award and up to $50,000 (CAD) toward the design refinement, structural engineer review, materials, fabrication and installation. The jury may also select up to two other designs for an honourable mention. A People s Choice Award for the most popular design as selected through a public voting process will be given an honourable mention and will receive a $1,000 (CAD) cash prize. Budget Excluding the $5,000 (CAD) award, the total cost to the City of Victoria of the design, build and installation may not exceed the total project budget of $50,000 (CAD). Entrants with a budget exceeding this amount assume full responsibility to cover additional costs. All entrants assume liability for all costs incurred in participating in the competition. The project budget is inclusive of fees for travel and disbursements. Estimated Project Schedule Competition Opens January 31, 2017 Competition Closes March 30, 2017 Jury Review April 2017 Winner Announcement May 2, 2017 Detailed design and offsite fabrication May July 2017 Installation July 3 7, 2017 Application Package Submission Requirements Deadline for entries is Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 4 p.m. Victoria Time. Entries must only be submitted in digital format. To be considered complete, submission packages must include all required information described in this document. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Upload digital submissions to: File size may not exceed 50MB. Applicants wishing to enter more than one entry for consideration must submit each entry as a separate application package. city of victoria the Square Design Competition 5

6 Your application must include: 1. Application Form (see appendix a) 2. Team Member Information (Provide one CV for the team, maximum four 8.5" x 11" pages) 3. Design Panels Maximum of four Design Panels in PDF landscape format 11" x 17" at 300 DPI that include: A detailed drawing in plan view; Drawing(s) that illustrates the scale and proposed materials and finishes; A perspective drawing; An illustrated construction sequence of the proposed installation; and, A maximum of 150 words that describe the design concept and its contribution to play value in Centennial Square. 4. Budget Form (see appendix b) 5. Timeline Form (see appendix c) Do not submit files that are compressed or that require software, plug-ins, extensions or other executables that need to be downloaded or installed. Role and Responsibilities The successful team selected for the competition will be required to enter into a Professional Service Agreement with the City of Victoria which will contain provisions including but not limited to rights of ownership and use, design, installation, warranty and insurance. Designs completed as part of the Project will be the property of the City of Victoria but the moral copyright and intellectual property rights remain with the team. The selected team will also be required to create maintenance instructions for the design. Once awarded the position, the successful team/individual will act as an independent contractor throughout the project term. Prior to commencing work the team/individual will be required to provide proof of WorkSafe BC Registration, or exemption, along with proof of up-to-date assessment. The successful design teams/individual must agree to keep the City indemnified against any and all claims, actions or demands that may be brought, made or arise in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by the team or its employees who shall be and remain at all times and for all purposes, the servants or employees of the team or their sub-contractor(s). The City must be notified of any changes of WorkSafe BC status during the duration of the agreement. Once awarded the competition, the team/individual and any sub-contractor(s) will be required to obtain and maintain the following insurance throughout the duration of the agreement and to comply with City insurance provisions: Commercial General Liability with $2,000,000 per occurrence and aggregate limits. Products and Completed Operations Blanket Written Contractual Liability Personal Injury Liability Non-Owned Automobile Liability Provision naming the Corporation of the City of Victoria as an additional insured, with a Cross Liability clause. Automobile Liability on all owned or leased vehicles in an amount not less than $2,000,000. Any large structural elements introduced to the space must be approved by a structural engineer. It is the winning team s responsibility, not the City of Victoria, to obtain materials and to carry out fabrication, construction and installation of the winning design. The selected design concept may need to be constructed off-site in order to avoid any conflict with other special events and festivals that may occur on the site prior to the installation. It is the responsibility of each team entering into the competition to ensure the feasibility of completing the implementation of the proposed design by July the Square Design Competition city of victoria

7 If at any time the City determines, in its sole judgment, that the selected team is unlikely to be able to fulfill its obligations to complete the installation of its design by July 2017, or the City and the selected team are unable to agree on the final terms of the contract, the City may terminate the arrangement with the winning entrant and may enter into discussions with another team or a third-party selected by the City to complete the design or a different design. The selected installation will become the property of the City of Victoria following installation, and the City of Victoria will be responsible for on-going maintenance. The City of Victoria reserves the right to relocate the installation to another location at the completion of this competition. This includes the right to reconfigure the installation in whole or in part. Neither the City nor the Jury is obliged to accept any proposal, and may reject all proposals. Until a written contract in a form satisfactory to the City is executed by both the City and the winning team, no legal rights or responsibility shall be created between the winning team and the City. Resources The following files are available for download by visiting: victoria.ca/popupsquare Site Context Map: Aerial map showing surrounding site context, including extents of Centennial Square, key landmarks and destinations. Site Diagram: Aerial map showing key features of Centennial Square and boundaries of design competition. Site Aerial Photograph: Aerial photograph of competition site and immediate surrounds. Site Plan: Site plan showing basic site information and competition boundary. Available in AutoCAD and PDF format. Site Photographs: Ground-level photographs of existing site conditions. Information Brief: Special Event Programming: Contains additional information on anticipated recurring and special event programming for Centennial Square, including sample special event plans. city of victoria the Square Design Competition 7

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9 Site Plan city of victoria the Square Design Competition 9

10 Appendix A 1 Centennial Square Victoria, BC V8W 1P6 E engage@victoria.ca victoria.ca/popupsquare APPLICATION FORM the Square Design Competition Please include a copy of this form with each submission: Checklist (Supply all documents in PDF format) Application form (this page) Team member information (provide one CV for team) Design Panels Budget Form Timeline Form Deadline for submissions is March 30, 2017 at 4 p.m. Victoria Time Incomplete or late information will not be accepted (please print) Name (primary contact): Address: City: Postal Code: Telephone: How did you hear about this competition? Please complete application package to: Please upload digital submissions to: victoria.bonfirehub.ca Applicants will be required to create login credentials prior to uploading documents. Uploading documents may take significant time, depending on the size of file(s) and your internet connection speed. Allocate sufficient time for all uploads prior to closing time. File size may not exceed 50MB. 10 the Square Design Competition city of victoria

11 Appendix B: Budget Form (template) EXPENSE CATEGORIES AMOUNT COMMENTS Design Award (Jury Selection) $5, Project Budget 1.0 Construction Drawings and Contract 1.1 Structural Engineer review and sign off (if applicable) 1.2 Insurance 1.3 Other SUB TOTAL $5, Prototyping and Fabrication 2.1 Materials 2.2 Labour 2.3 Other (e.g. equipment rental, storage or space rental) 3.0 Installation and Removal 3.1 Delivery/Transportation 3.2 Labour 3.3 Other 4.0 Recycling/Disposal 5.0 Other 6.0 Contingency SUB TOTAL $50,000 TOTAL $55,000 city of victoria the Square Design Competition 11

12 Appendix C: Timeline Form (template) May 2 7 May 8 14 May May Key Milestones Execution of Contract Design refinement Structural engineering sign-off on construction drawings Delivery and installation Construction Delivery and installation May 29 June 4 June 5 11 June June June 26 July 2 July the Square Design Competition city of victoria