Balboa Park Centennial Gateway Competitiondraft Competition Brief

Balboa Park Centennial Gateway CompetitionDraft Competition Brief

June 28, 2013

ABOUT THE CENTENNIAL GATEWAY COMPETITION

PROCESS

SCHEDULE

COMPETITION RULES

COMPETITION EXHIBITS

JURY & SELECTION CRITERIA

COMPETITION COMMITTEE & SPONSORS

ABOUT THE CENTENNIAL GATEWAY COMPETITION

Invitation

The Balboa Park Centennial Gateway Competition is an ideas competition open to all professionals, non-professionals, and students from the design community. We invite designers to submit their ideas for consideration and public benefit.

Background

2015 marks the centennial anniversary of the Panama California Exposition. Developed to coincide with the opening of the Panama Canal, the Exposition was planned to promote San Diego, then a town of 70,000, as a viable port for commercial traffic from the Canal. The Park was the centerpiece of the exposition and a catalyst for San Diego’s growth and development. It gave the City many landmarks including the California State and Park Administration Buildings (now the Museum of Man); the California Tower; the Botanical Building; the Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion; the Plaza de Panama; and the Cabrillo Bridge, the historic gateway to the park. The world famous San Diego Zoo was also established at this time to house animals from the Exposition.

The Park experienced a second period of growth and historic significance with the 1935 California Pacific Exposition, which saw the construction of major buildings such as the Old Globe Theatre, the International Cottages, and the Spanish Village. During both World Wars, the US Navy used the park as an extension of the Naval Hospital.

With the 2015 anniversary approaching, there has been much discussion about the Centennial’s legacy; and much debate on vehicular access and parking; whether or not to remove vehicles from the Plaza de Panama; and the appropriate use of Cabrillo Bridge, the Park’s historic, ceremonial entry.

Competition Brief

This competition is intended to complement current 2015 Centennial planning discussions by focusing on Park Boulevard as a poorly defined and underutilized asset for the Park. Park Boulevard defines the eastern edge of the Park’s Central Mesa and is the primary means of access to its major parking areas. The competition poses the question:

As part of the legacy of the 2015 Centennial Exposition,

how can Park Boulevard be defined as the Park’s front door?

In general terms, the competition strives to create gateways along Park Boulevard that announce arrival into the Park. The competition boundaries are generally defined as the segment of Park Boulevard from the overpass at Interstate 5 to the south to the intersection of Park and Upas Street to the north.

Teams are urged to help reveal the untapped potential of this area through innovative and compelling design proposals. While no representation is made that this competition will result in a commission to execute any design, there is interest in solutions that are achievable prior to the Centennial and address the question – what can we do before 2015?

Design Considerations

Entrants may propose solutions for one or more of the locations identified under Competition Exhibits – Sites (Page 10), however entrants attention are drawn to the following:

Consideration should be given to the sites at Park/I-5 and Park/Upas as primary thresholds and markers into the Park district.

Solutions that “bridge the bridge” from I-5 and extend to the Park’s original entrance at Russ Boulevard, improving the connection between the Park and downtown are acceptable.

Solutions that create an orientation and information kiosk for Park Visitors are encouraged.

Consideration may be given to the intersections of Park and Zoo Place;and to Zoo Place and Florida Street, a primary point of entry for travelers from Interstate 5 via Florida Canyon.

Consideration may also be given to defining the entrances to the Park’s parking areas and improving pedestrian connections across Park Boulevard – particularly from the Naval Hospital and Inspiration Point.

Proposals may include recommendations for entry monuments, small structures, landscaping, lighting, and public art. Attention should be given to the unique aspects of each site. When selecting sites, consider the challenges and opportunities each offers for arriving pedestrians and cars. The experience of the Centennial Gateway to each individual will be different depending on the mode of transportation used, which may include walking, biking, public transportation, and personal vehicle.

Balboa Park is fragmented into separate areas of concentration such as the Zoo, Prado, and Inspiration Point. Promoting access, way-finding, and senses of place and arrival are all key to a successful gateway.

The proposals may seek to unify multiple concentrations or call attention to specific nodes in the park. Explore the options that each site offers to promote these goals.

How do you definethe entrancesto one of the world’s most famous parks?
How do you design to promote access?
What should the arrival experience for the Park befor next 100 years?

Proposals should be iconic in nature but respect the sensitivities of existing land forms, rare landscape features, and structures that may hold historic or significant value to the Park.

PROCESS

STEP ONE

Professionals, non-professionals, and students are asked to register and submit their ideas.

Designers Register
Develop Design Proposals
Design Proposals Due

STEP TWO

Submissions will be exhibited by the San Diego Museum of Artand evaluated by the public. Through voting, the public will acknowledge their favorite designs.

Public Exhibition
Public Voting

STEP THREE

The Jury will select three entries with each awarded a cash prize of $(Value TBD). The successful designs will be presented at a public lecture sponsored by the San Diego Museum of Art. Winning teams will have an opportunity to present their proposals in a reception held at the Museum.

Jury Review & Selection of Winners

Public Reception

Print & Digital Publication

Additionally, a “People’s Choice” award will be given to the submission that receives the most public votes with a cash prize of $(Value TBD).

Alternative Step 3:

The Jury will select a short list of 6 teams to present their schemes at the Museum. From these 6 teams, the jury will select 3 winners.

SCHEDULE

Competition Announcement — July 2013
Competition Guidelines Posted and Registration Open — July 2013
Registration Deadline — August 2013
Questions Period — August 2013
Answers Posted Online — August 2013
Submittal Deadline — September 2013
Public Exhibition — September 2013
Jury Evaluation & Presentation of Winners— October 2013

NOTE: Competition schedule is subject to change. All updates will be posted on the competition website, and registered participants notified by email.

COMPETITION RULES

Who May Register

All interested parties, including multi-disciplinary teams, are invited to enter. For exclusions, refer to Eligibility.

Registration Process

Entrants must register for the competition in order to participate in the jury evaluation of submitted designs. The Competition Committeemust receive the completed registration form no later than 5:00 p.m. (PST) on August 2013.

To register, entrants must submit the following information via the online form at INSERT WEB ADDRESS.

Name of Lead Designer. Entries may be submitted by teams of designers; however, for the purposes of registration and tracking throughout the competition, a single point of contact must be submitted for the entry.

Name of Firm/Organization (if applicable).
Name of School (if applicable).
Primary contact phone.
Primary contact email.

The Competition Committeewill send a reply via email with a registration confirmation and registration number. This registration number must be included with submission of competition entries. Entries submitted without a valid registration number may be excluded from the competition.

Each registered individual/team may make only one submission per registration. If an individual or team wishes to enter additional submissions, (s)he or they must register again.

Questions about online registration should be directed to the Competition Committee at INSERT WEB ADDRESS.

Entry Fee

The competition is free to all teams comprised of students currently registered in a high school, college, or university located within San Diego County. As one of the goals of the Competition is to promote collaboration and mentoring between students and professionals, the fee shall also be waived for teams comprised of design professionals (architects, landscape architects, graphic designers, and professional artists) partnered with students.

For all other entries, a fee of $50.00shall be submitted for each registered entry. Fees shall be paid in the form of a personal or cashiers check made out to the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (SDAIA).

Anonymity

Competitors must not communicate with the Jury about the competition in any way until a public announcement of the winner is made. Any competitor or juror found in active violation of this rule will be disqualified and notified by the Competition Committee, with the decision being final and not subject to appeal.

All entries must be submitted without any marks, logos, insignia, or writing on the display surfaces that identify their authorship. Failure to comply with this rule may lead to disqualification. Only at the end of the judging will the names of the competitors be revealed to the jury.

Ownership and Copyright

All drawings, photographs, photocopies, and other physical or electronic materials submitted to the competition become the property of the San Diego Museum of Art and will not be returned. Entrants shall retain artistic rights as prescribed under California and Federal law. If competitors make use of copyrighted materials in their entry, they must identify them clearly as such, and provide all copyright references accompanying their submission forms.

Exhibition and Publication

The Museum of Art may exhibit a selection of competition entries in one or more public locations. Further, they may publish the results of the competition in both hard and electronic media formats. In any exhibition, publication, or website, AIASD and the Museum will make every effort to properly credit the appropriate competitors. Since the Museum retains ownership of all competition materials (see "Ownership and Copyright"), they reserve the right to utilize submitted materials in any publication or promotional endeavor in perpetuity, and without compensation to the entrants.

Eligibility

The family members, firms, partners, and professional associates of the Jurors are enjoined from participating in the competition. If any Juror is found to have a conflict of interest, he or she will be dismissed from the panel and an alternate juror appointed.

Disqualification

The Competition Committee may invalidate any entries that: arrive after the deadlines; are incomplete in any significant fashion; do not comply with the rules of the competition; or contain any visual or written material on the submittals that in any way identifies the author to the jury.

Disputes

Entrants who fail to observe the guidelines and rules of the competition will be declared ineligible and the Jury shall be so informed by the Competition Committee. The Jury has the authority and responsibility to recommend winners to Competition Committee at the end of the competition. Any disputes will be resolved by the Competition Committee and the Committee’s decision with respect to any disqualification, acceptance of designs, or ranking in the competition shall be final and binding on all parties, and may not be appealed.

COMPETITION EXHIBITS

Sites

Park Blvd & Upas St.- Park border to the north at the neighborhood of Hillcrest.
Park Blvd & Zoo Place - Entry to the San Diego Zoo.
Park Blvd & The Prado - Terminus of the museum cluster and Rose Garden.
Florida Drive & Zoo Place - Main vehicular connection from Florida Canyon
Park Blvd & Inspiration Point Way - Connection to Recreation Center & Navy Hospital.
Park Blvd & Presidents Way - Connection to Inspiration Point parking lot .
Park Blvd & 5 Freeway - Park’s southern border and connection to downtown.

Submission Requirements

Presentations should be easily understandable by a lay audience as the Competition Committee intends to display some of the competition entries in a public setting for use in education and awareness about the 2015 Balboa Park Centennial.

No physical models will be accepted. However, photographs, hand or computer renderings of models may be incorporated into the presentation.

All entries must be submitted without any marks, logos, insignia, or writing that identify their authorship.

Competitors may submit as many entries as they desire. However, each entry must have a separate registration confirmation and number.

Deliverables

1. (Required) One 30” x 40” portrait-oriented presentation/concept board with graphic representation of the competitor’s vision for the Centennial Gateway(s), depicting the massing, key features, and relationship to the surrounding park environment. Design may be hand or computer-rendered.

2. (Optional) One 30” x 40” portrait-oriented presentation/concept board with illustrations/photographs exploring inspiration, materiality, and any other visual representation of the competitor’s approach to the project.

3. (Required) One narrative of not more than 400 words explaining how the concept design responds to the spirit and goal of the competition

4. Competitors shall submit electronic copies of their presentation/concept board(s) in PDF, JPEG, or GIF file format, with graphics at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.

Mailing and Delivery Address

The telephone number of AIA San Diego is provided here strictly for the purposes of facilitating shipping of competition submittals. Hand-deliveries can only be made from 9 a.m. (PST) to 4 p.m. (PST), Monday through Friday. Competitors may not direct questions about the competition to AIASD staff members at this number at any time.

American Institute of Architects San Diego

233 A Street, Suite 200

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 232-0109

Competitors are solely responsible for ensuring their entry arrives on time. AIA San Diegois not responsible for any materials which do not arrive on time, or arrive in a condition that renders them unsuitable for display.

To contact the Design Competition Coordinator please send email, with Balboa Park Centennial Gateway Competition in the subject line, to INSERT WEB ADDRESS.

Emails with questions regarding the competition process or rules, or questions about the site will be answered on the website during the scheduled Q&A period. No individual email responses will be sent.

JURY & SELECTION CRITERIA

Jury

A panel of 5 members from the San Diego arts & design community will jury this competition, and will do so in accordance with the procedures outlined in this document. Jurors will assess the submissions and select three winners.

Selection Criteria

Jurors will base their judgment on their own expertise; the work submitted and/or presented by competitors; the information contained in the competition document; and any questions and answers that arise during the competition process.

Post - Competition Awards

No representation is made by the Competition Committee that award or selection of an entry will result in a commission to execute any work associated with this competition.

COMPETITION COMMITTEE & SPONSORS

Competition Committee

The Competition Committee is comprised of members of the San Diego arts, design, & education community. The managing sponsor is the American Institute of Architects San Diego Chapter.

Managing Sponsor

American Institute of Architects San Diego

233 A Street, Suite 200

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 232-0109

Contact: Bastiian Bouma, Executive Director