Robson Redux Returns: summertime plaza designs wanted!
Robson Redux Design Competition
The City of Vancouver has just announced plans for another Robson Redex design competition. This is exciting news! Not only does it confirm that 800-block of Robson Street will once again be the site of a summertime plaza expansion, but it also supports the whole culture of design competitions – which are great ways to generate innovative public spaces.
The first Robson Redux competition, which took place earlier this year, saw the City receive almost 80 submissions from around the world. The winning design, a sweeping skeletal seating arrangement known as “Urban Reef” was created by a local design team comprised of Kaz Bemner, Jeremiah Deutscher, Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra. Like earlier summertime installations on Robson Square, it proved to be quite a popular feature with residents and visitors alike.
People seated at Urban Reef – winning entry in the 2014 Robson Redux design competition.
We’re looking forward to seeing the array of submissions that come with this years competition. Designers: sharpen your pencils. Show us your chops!
For those interested in more details, here’s the Information Bulletin that the City issued:
Calling public space designers: Create a summer stunner
VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition returnsVIVA Vancouver will open its 800 Robson Street space to the creative community once again with Robson Redux, a design-build competition that invites emerging and professional designers and artists to submit their design ideas related to the theme of “connection”. The winner will make their design a reality, building and installing it for the 2015 summer season as a public space for people to enjoy.
VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition temporarily transforms the 800 block of Robson Street into a summertime pedestrian plaza. This block is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada. Installation will take place in early summer, open on Canada Day (July 1, 2015) and remain in place until the end of Labour Day long weekend (September 7, 2015).
The winning design will be selected by a jury composed of Marc Boutin (Principal, Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative and Associate Professor, University of Calgary), Barbara Cole (Principal of Cole Projects, Executive Director of Other Sights for Artists’ Projects Association), Jane Durante (Founding Principal, Durante Kreuk Landscape Architects), Stanley King (Founder and Head of Co-Design Group), Matthew Soules (Director, Matthew Soules Architecture and Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia). The winning team will be provided a small design honorarium and up to $40,000 to cover costs of materials, fabrication, construction, installation and de-installation for their projects.
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. The competition encourages design teams with diverse skill sets to submit joint entries.
Teams can submit their designs ideas online at www.vivadesigncomp.ca for a small fee. Deadline to register is January 30, 2015; submission deadline is February 13, 2015.
Past temporary public space designs at 800 Robson Street include:
- 2011: PICNURBIA – designed by Loose Affiliates
- 2012: Pop Rocks! – designed by AFJD Studio and Matthew Soules
- 2013: Corduroy Road – designed by Hapa Collaborative
- 2014: Urban Reef – designed by Kaz Bremner, Jeremiah Deutscher, and Higher Works (Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra).
VIVA Vancouver is a public space program that specializes in turning road spaces into people places. Working with various community partners, the program re-purposes road space to create temporary or semi-permanent public spaces.