Rehabilitation of the River EGB-LA 2008 NATURAL TALENT DESIGN COMPETITION OVERVIEW The USGBC Natural Talent 2008 Design Competition provides an applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, innovation, and social consciousness; all of which are components of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Participants will compete to be one of five local finalists, the top winner of which will move on to compete for a national award at Greenbuild 2008. Awards include registration to Greenbuild (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org), the USGBC s Annual Green Building Conference and Expo in Boston, Massachusetts, November 2008, where finalists entries will be displayed and where final judging will occur. The USGBC Design Competition provides applied learning experience in the principles of integrated design, sustainability, and innovation; all of which are components of the LEED Green Building Rating System. COMPETITION OBJECTIVES Broaden environmental education in the building professions within the university system To empower students and young professionals within the green building movement to become future leaders Highlight the presence, efforts, and initiative of students and emerging leaders in the green building movement Integrate students with esteemed individuals from the USGBC and green building industry Raise awareness of exemplary designs of future designers by displaying them at Greenbuild Utilize LEED as a guideline for building design and performance Recognize and award students and emerging green builders for their dedication, creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainable design Encourage the reduction of the dependence on fossil fuels within the building industry.
ELIGIBILITY The Competition is open to all university level students (of any discipline and level) and individuals with less than five (5) years experience in the building industry. Teams and individuals wishing to participate in the competition will qualify to enter the nearest competition site to their residence. This will depend largely on the Chapters participating. Both individuals and teams are permitted to enter Multi-disciplinary and international teams are strongly encouraged. Teams are to be no larger than five (5) individuals. Only one (1) entry per team will be accepted. We encourage teams to secure a faculty member or industry professional to fill an advisory role. The Competition Committee will not recommend advisors but encourage participants to seek them out themselves. Please check the USGBC website for a list of LEED Accredited Professionals in your area or contact your local USGBC chapter for help identifying an advisor. International entries will be accepted at both the local and national levels. However, it is up to the international team to secure their own translation of the applicable program, as well as additional support for translation clarification. It will not be the responsibility of the local or national host committee to translate. REGISTRATION 1. Teams are required to complete an online registration form by visiting the Emerging Green Builders national website at www.usgbc.org/egb ; only one form per team. All information must be complete to be considered a valid entry. A confirmation email will be sent from National within seven (7) business days of receiving the registration, and will contain information on how to proceed. Registration is mandatory to receive additional instruction on project submittals. 2. Teams are required to identify a team contact. This person will receive important information from the local competition committee and is responsible for final submission. The team contact will be responsible for all communication between the design team and the Competition Committee. Additionally, the team contact should disseminate all information from the Competition Committee to their entire team. 3. Each team/individual may only enter one local competition. This competition should be the competition geographically closest to your current location.
COMPETITION CHALLENGE This competition relies on the development of a purpose for the site that must take into account the existing and future environmental, social, and economic elements. The objective is to design an adaptive reuse program for the existing Historical Lincoln Heights Los Angeles City Jail site which incorporates and meets the following guidelines: 1. Preserves the historical elements of the building 2. Creates a locally sustaining program 3. Promotes the connection between urban environments and natural ecosystems 4. Creates a strong connection with Rivers, Parks, and Habitat 5. Encourages a sense of community within the surrounding areas 6. Shows awareness of local economic needs 7. Reflects the intent of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan and the River Improvement Overlay District (RIO) 8. Enhances education and awareness of the history of the site s development and the sustainable practices used for this program 9. Creates open space such as restored habitat, community gardens, and parks 10. Provides treatment of urban water runoff 11. Reflects LEED-EB and LEED-ND guidelines Utilizing the existing characteristics of the site and the above guidelines develop a program for the site and an illustrative argument for your plan. PROJECT CONTEXT & LOCATION The project site is located at the confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco, near where the City of Los Angeles was founded. The confluence of the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River is a unique and symbolic place in the urban area of Los Angeles, featuring two waterways of significant historical and cultural importance. The confluence was an important resource to Native Americans, where ground water flowed above ground. The site also may be seen as an important connection between the City s three largest parks: Griffith, Elysian, and Debs. The joining of the waterways offers room for meaningful habitat and stream restoration, for water quality treatment, flood management, and strengthening of the ecological connections to the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains. The approximate 210,800 square foot project site is located between 401-449 North Avenue 19, Los Angeles, CA 90031. The site features the Historic Los Angeles City Jail, also known as the Lincoln Heights Jail, which rises five stories above the adjacent Los Angeles River. The Art Deco portion of the jail was built in 1931 by the Los Angeles City Construction department. The Bauhaus Modern addition was built in 1949 and designed by Kaufman and Stanton. The building was declared historic by the City of Los Angeles in 1993. The site also includes a Los Angeles City Maintenance Yard.
Existing Site Confluence of Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles River Historic Lincoln Heights City of Los Angeles Jail Concept Site 110 Hwy Metro Gold Line Elysian Park Los Angeles River The Rivers of the Los Angeles Basin were critical to the settling of Los Angeles but human expansion in the cities has tested the ecological integrity of the natural systems. As Los Angeles was more expansively settled in the 1900 s, the natural flooding cycles and meandering of rivers and streams, such as the Los Angeles River, Arroyo Seco, Ballona Creek, and the San Gabriel River, impacted parcels that were typically dry for years at a time. Because of resultant property damage and the desires of the residents at the time to control the local waterways so that the floodplain could be extensively developed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the channelization of the rivers in the Los Angeles Basin in 1931, setting in motion Angelenos love/hate relationship with the concrete river. As time has progressed the value of natural systems has been rediscovered. The new desire for additional open space, parks, wildlife habitat, and new approaches to flood management, created an impetus for plans to restore and revitalize areas along concrete channeled rivers. The County of Los Angeles in 1996 adopted the Los Angeles River Master Plan formulating a multi-objective program for the 51-mile River while recognizing its primary purpose for flood protection. Overall, the Los Angeles River Master Plan advocates environmental enhancement, recreational opportunities, and economic development. The evaluation of techniques to incorporate natural approaches for flood protection and stormwater pollution control including habitat restoration and enhanced wetlands creation that could include changes to the concrete channel were highlighted in the more
recent Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan (LARRMP) prepared by the City of Los Angeles, which covers the 32-mile portion of the River in the City. The LARRMP called out the confluence of the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River as an Opportunity Area. It is one where future parks are planned which should integrate with the Historic Los Angeles City Jail site. The LARRMP proposed the addition of a River Improvement Overlay District (RIO) which encompasses the neighborhoods adjacent to the Los Angeles River, including the proposed project site, and encourages sustainable development that integrates the River with the City. In addition, the project site is situated within the boundaries of what will be the first LEED-Neighborhood Development (ND) specific plan in the nation. The Cornfields Arroyo Seco Specific Plan encompasses some 400 acres located between Chinatown and Lincoln Heights/Cypress Park Metro Rail Stations. The specific plan will be a LEED- ND pilot project to promote sustainable design from a master planning perspective and will encourage smart growth, urbanism, and green building design in terms of the infrastructure, open space, and buildings to be renovated and constructed within its boundaries. The surrounding land uses of the site include the Los Angeles River, the Arroyo Seco, the Metro Gold Line, Confluence Park, Elysian Park, the Los Angeles State Historic Park know as the Cornfields, industrial uses, a Livable Places affordable loft complex, a Goodwill Center, and the 110 and 5 freeways. The existing site currently houses the Los Angeles Youth Athletic Club and The Bilingual Foundation for the Arts. Illustrations of the Site from the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan Surrounding Area
Incorporation of Conceptual Sustainable Elements For more information and views of the site, please visit the following web sites: http://www.reel-scout.com/filmla/loc_detail_p.aspx?id=10000310 http://ladpw.org/wmd/watershed/la/la_river_plan.cfm http://www.lariverrmp.org/ http://cityplanning.lacity.org/code_studies/rioproject/factsheet.pdf http://cornfieldsla.googlepages.com DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The competition program and design shall be developed for the future adaptive reuse of the Historic Los Angeles City Jail and its surrounding environs. The existing building is to remain, therefore the program and design shall be based on research of the site, its history, the existing community development and needs. This competition shall focus the development and program with an illustrated design for the entire site, including but not limited to the reuse of the historic jail, while taking into consideration sustainability and relating to the reuse of the of the structure to the site s master plan. 1.) Historic Jail Adaptive Reuse program and design ( reuse and/or redesign) 2.) Master Plan Site plan including jail and river convergence 3.) Incorporation of existing master plans and sustainability principles
The guidelines are as follows. These are meant to serve to develop a baseline ethic for approaching the development of the program and design for the Adaptive Reuse and Master Plan: 1. Preserves the historical elements of the building 2. Creates a locally sustaining program 3. Promotes the connection between urban environments and natural ecosystems 4. Creates a strong connection with Rivers, Parks, and Habitat 5. Encourages a sense of community within the surrounding areas 6. Shows awareness of local economic needs 7. Reflects the intent of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan and the River Improvement Overlay District (RIO) 8. Enhances education and awareness of the history of the site s development and the sustainable practices used for this program 9. Creates open space such as restored habitat, community gardens, and parks 10. Provides treatment of urban water runoff 11. Reflects LEED-EB and LEED-ND guidelines Historic Jail Adaptive Reuse Each competition team shall develop an adaptive reuse program and design of the historic jail currently existing on the site. The art deco portion of the jail, designed in 1931, and the Bauhaus modern addition built in 1949, pose challenges and opportunities to interpret language and function. The program for the building is open for each team to design, in accordance with the site s overall plan. The program design should be fully illustrated in the submittals and based on the following points. The reuse of the jail should be in conformance with the guidelines previously mentioned to take into account the existing surrounding land uses and existing and future needs of the local area. Historical elements of the jail should be preserved but can be built upon. Thought shall be given to incorporating multiple uses of the jail, principles of new urbanism, and living buildings. Some components to consider including in the allocation of space are: community spaces, office spaces, living spaces, connections with nature, development of power for the building, and treatment of wastes. It shall be noted that the program recommendations listed above are intended as a guideline to assist the Competition Teams, and are derived from standard practice. The Competition teams shall feel enabled to propose alternative spatial configurations as long as it is commensurate with their larger vision for the adaptive reuse and master plan. Master Plan In addition to the historic jail adaptive reuse, each competition team shall propose a master plan for the site. If the team deems it necessary to expand the borders of the site to include the surrounding land uses this will be allowed, but is not the focus of this competition. This master plan shall consider future development in terms of the guidelines previously mentioned and in terms of the site s particular:
HISTORY: historical jail with cultural importance, modified rivers due to flood zone and community reaction GEOGRAPHY: 3 parks: Griffith, Elysian, and Debs, convergence of Los Angeles River and Arroyo Seco, light rail and interstate intersections nearby ECOLOGY: natural rivers converted to concrete - environmental impacts, mitigation patterns, wetlands, wildlife habitat, flood protection, storm water pollution control, filtration systems ECONOMY: educational opportunities, future development, existing residential and light industrial uses, future parks and recreational opportunities CULTURE: surrounding communities, demographics, etc. The goal of the master plan and adaptive reuse of the Historic Lincoln Heights Jail is to provide a sustainable use for the site. DESIGN GOALS Evaluation criteria of the Los Angeles Natural Design Competition: Conceptual Design and Program fulfillment: how the project s vision has met the goals. Development and integration of specific green design strategies mentioned above in the Competition Challenge section Overall compatibility with other LEED criteria Creativity in process, design and innovation Engagement of environmental, economic, and social aspects of program and site Evaluation criteria at the NATIONAL level: Conceptual Design and Program fulfillment: how the project s vision has met the requirements Integration of green design strategies and applicability to LEED criteria Creativity in process, design and innovation Engagement of environmental, economic, and social aspects of program and site
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Submission for Requirements at the Local Level: At minimum, boards submitted at the local level must include: o For the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Jail: Immediate Site Plan with building footprint or roof plan. Floor Plan with context One Longitudinal Section and one Transverse Section, both including the site Axonometric or perspective representation of building exterior and site At least one interior perspective view Illustration of key elements of sustainable infrastructure and building systems Wall section, detail, or diagram illustrating special environmental features o For the MASTER PLAN: Site Plan for the entire site, including town site and mine if applicable, locating all program elements Graphic description of proposed infrastructural systems Written program and narrative of the proposed Master Plan Drawings may be combined to conserve board space (i.e. combined building section and interior perspective) All images and materials not created by your team shall be properly cited. This includes imagery taken from web sites. Do not include names or the name of your team on the board or any attached materials. Submittals are limited to two 30 x40, plus attached written documents in 8 1 2 x11 format. Boards shall be legible when printed at full scale. All materials shall be submitted in PDF format, at the lowest possible resolution that will retain legibility at full scale (i.e. smallest file size). Color and images may not be used on written documents. Submission for Requirements at the National Level: At minimum, boards submitted at the national level must include: o Building and Site Section o Floor Plan with Context o Illustration of key elements of sustainable infrastructure and building systems o Wall section OR detail illustrating special environmental features Do not include names or the name of your team on the board All entries must remain anonymous at all levels. Each entry must also provide a digital file of the image as a JPEG or PDF format at 300dpi, full size. Failure to follow the submission requirements could result in disqualification. This will be left up the judges discretion.
A one-page written design analysis in PDF form to provide the judges with further insight into the submissions. All entries need to be submitted in English. OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES LEED is a design guideline only. It is understood that this will not portray an accurate LEED score. No LEED credit interpretation rulings will be provided. Designs do not need to be engineered for construction. You should be mindful of conventional design practices, although no other codes other than ADA need to be explicitly met (i.e. local building code, IBC or UBC, fire code, etc.). Failure to follow the submission requirements could result in disqualification. This will be left up to the judge s discretion. Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2008. No submissions will be accepted after this date and time. FINALISTS Finalists at the local level will be given additional time to develop and detail their designs. Finalists will be permitted two 30 x40 presentation boards of either orientation for final presentation at Greenbuild in Boston. The finalists may be given specific LEED credits to consider, including material samples and details. An electronic copy of the two boards for entry will be due to the National EGB Competition Committee October 1, 2008. These electronic copies should be PDF files formatted to fit on an 11x17 sheet. Entrants are responsible for ensuring both boards are physically present at the Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Boston, MA, for display and final judging. This will be coordinated with the National EGB Committee toward the end of October. Finalists are strongly encouraged to attend Greenbuild but are not required to. All projects in the final round of judging will also be posted to the Emerging Green Builders Website. As earlier stated, final presentations can be further developed and modified from the original project submission, although not redesigned. There must be a clear relation to the original submission. The Competition Committees at both levels reserve the right to disqualify any entry perceived to be redesigned. JUDGING There will be two phases of judging in the 2008 competition. The first will take place at the local level on or before August 1, 2008, which is a date to be set by the local host organization. Judging at the national level will take place at Greenbuild in Boston, MA, by an esteemed panel of green building experts.
AWARDS The local jury will award a first, second and third place, as well as two Honorable Mention Awards. Winning teams will receive the following awards: o 1 st Place: $1,000 and Trip to Greenbuild 2008 o 2 nd Place: $500 o 3 rd Place: $250 o 4 th and 5 th : Honorable mentions Note that international entrants, should they win the competition at the local level, will be awarded comparable stipends to aid in their travel to Greenbuild for the National judging. The entire cost may not be covered. National awards are as follows: o 1 st Place: $5,000 o 2 nd Place: $2,000 DISCLAIMER The National EGB Committee reserves the right to refuse any entry. The USGBC is not liable for lost or misdirected, late or substantially incomplete entries, as well as any entries containing text/images that identify the designer to jurors. The decisions and opinions of the jurors represent their professional viewpoints, not the opinion of USGBC. All prizes will be awarded at the discretion of USGBC and all decisions are final. All drawings, photographs, photocopies and other physical materials submitted to the competition become the property of the USGBC and will not be returned. It should be emphasized that this competition is purely conceptual, and the selection of finalists or prize-winners in no way indicates intent of the property owners to implement the proposed schemes. Upon registering for this competition, all competitors agree to waive any and all claims against the USGBC as a result of the competition. Also, by registering, the entrants transfer unlimited use for publication, exhibition and electronic posting of all entries to the USGBC. All images must either be created by the team or sufficiently cited. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Fill out and return the Image Use Form found on the national EGB website prior to submitting for your local competition. This competition, headed by the USGBC Emerging Green Builders Committee, has no intention to award or grant any building contracts for the designs submitted in this competition.