2015 Urban Marker
Competition
Call for Entries
This exciting competition is open to all AAA Interns, and RAIC Intern members located in
Alberta. Competition entries are invited from individuals and from teams.
RAIC / AAA Festival of Architecture
The 2015 RAIC / AAA Festival of Architecture will be a celebration that embraces the
value of moving beyond singular perspectives to explore opportunities to collaborate,
combine, include, participate and amplify traditional architecture. The festival takes place
th
in the province of big skies, and big ideas, from June 3rd to 6 in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada!
The 2015 festival will have us all reflecting on the foundations of our community, our
current period of revitalization, and boldly looking forward at how we will shape our future
with this year’s Festival theme of (Re)generation + Integration.
Architecture Fringe Events
The schedule of events planned for the Festival is varied and rich, supporting the
professional issues that we face locally, nationally, and internationally. The festival
organizers are holding a regional celebration of design culture to compliment the Festival.
The goal of this festival will be to extend the celebration of architecture into the broader
community, to contextualize the RAIC / AAA Festival, and to advance public awareness
with engaging events and exhibitions.
The Urban Marker
The Urban Marker Competition was created and established by Storefront Manitoba,
along with the Architectural Fringe Festival at the 2014 MAA / RAIC Festival in Winnipeg,
Manitoba. The Urban Marker created a unique physical marker to signal and to celebrate
events and locations of the Architecture Fringe Festival happenings.
At the 2002 RAIC Festival of Architecture, a vertical marker was created that stood 50’. It
consisted of a scissor jack platform raised on site, draped with neon mesh, lit at night
from within, and inscribed with famous quotations centered around urbanism. It was
transported, erected and set alongside a number of Festival venues. This Urban Maker
was the first of its kind.
At 2014 MAA / RAIC Festival of Architecture in Winnipeg, the 2014 Urban [marker]
Branding was the proposition of a way-finding system and the transformation of
mundane, temporary city signage systems, repurposing them to direct the attention of the
casual observer, the passerby, the motorist, and the pedestrian to important and
significant events occurring within the city and within the design community. Simply a
magnetic signage application, the use of reflective material, and bright color, the strategic
placement and the accumulation of these of the markers around design venues
enhanced the sense anticipation and awareness of the event. The Urban Marker had
simple text, a venue name, a date or a QR code directed to the events website. This
allowed for the flexibility, repeat use and deployment of the markers for festival events or
for Storefront initiatives in the future. The Urban Branding concept alludes to what is
seemingly an endless construction season in Winnipeg and creates a playful and unique
layer of environmental graphic design within an urban context. The 2014 Urban Marker
was transported, erected and set alongside a number of Festival venues.
We now are seeking new and innovative proposals for a 2015 Urban Marker to be
displayed at 2015 RAIC / AAA Festival of Architecture.
The design criteria for the 2015 Marker are as follows;
It should be:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
striking and inspiring in its formal and material constitution
visible, both by day or by night
able to incorporate a limited amount of text, logos, and color(s)
easy to transport
easy to assemble and to take down
able to withstand Calgary “summer” weather (sunshine, rain, wind, snow, etc.)
and have a shelf life (ie., easy to store, transport, assemble again) to exceed the
RAIC / AAA Festival. (It is expected that *Beakerhead will incorporate the event
marker on an on-going basis for future events, ie. 4 year minimum).
•
And it could be many other things ….
*Beakerhead, as one of this year’s sponsors of the competition, will be showcasing the
winning 2015 Urban Marker during its September event. Beakerhead is an international,
five-day smash up of art, science and engineering events in Calgary - taking place this
year September 16 – 20, 2015.
Events and Sites
The marker will be placed at event and exhibition locations during the week of the
festival, moving from venue to venue. It is the sole responsibility of winning entrants to
ensure the safe transportation and relocation of their submission to each venue. Below is
a preliminary listing of potential sites:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
RAIC / AAA Festival venues
Hyatt Regency Calgary – possibly interior or exterior locations
Esker Foundation
Grand Theatre Junction
Triangle Gallery (RAIC Design Hub)
Nickle Arts Gallery at the University of Calgary
Other Venues To Be Determined
Process
The competition jury consists of members from the architectural and STEAM (science,
technology, engineering, arts and math) community in Canada. The jury will choose a
winning entry based on the criteria noted and be subject to a technical review to ensure
that it meets sound construction practices and budgetary constraints. Information on
individuals and team members will be withheld from the jury until the final selections have
been made. The winning entrants will be required to prepare construction / production
drawings consistent with the technical review.
Jury
1. Hanan Chebib – Director of Creative Experiences from Beakerhead
2. David Penner – MAA, FRAIC; Principal, David Penner Architect; Founding
Committee, Urban Marker competition; Founding President, Storefront Manitoba
3. Joyce Drohan – AIBC, SAA, MRAIC, LEEP AP; Perkins and Will, Director Of
Urban Design (Blatchford Redevelopment Master Plan, 2014 Recipient of a
RAIC National Urban Design Award and 2014 Globe Award)
4. Michael Banman – MAA, MRAIC, LEED AP BD&C; Associate Architect, Stantec
Discipline Lead; Sessional Instructor, Faculty of Architecture, University of
Manitoba
5. Rachelle Lemieux – MAA Intern, MRAIC, LEED G.A; RAIC Director of Interns
and Intern Architects
6. Omer Arbel – Creative Director of Bocci; Principal, Omer Arbel Office; Recipient
Canada Council’s 2010 Ron Thom Early Design Achievement Award
Eligibility
This call for entries is open to all AAA Interns (individual or team), and RAIC Intern
members located in Alberta.
Submission Requirements
The entries should be prepared as a PDF file (up to 5MB) and emailed to
[email protected] no later than 4:00pm - Monday, March 16th, 2015. Submissions
shall include the following:
Page 1 (8.5 x 11)
• Name of the project
• Individual or team member names and contact information
Page 2 and 3 (11 x 17)
• name of the Project (on both pages)
• maximum 150 word description of the design concept
• plan, elevations, section and/or detail (these drawings shall be to scale and
dimensioned with notations to explain materiality and related technical
requirements
• rendering of marker in context (day, night)
Selection Process
The submissions will be presented anonymously to the jury for review according to the
criteria noted and with particular emphasis on:
•
•
•
creative interpretation of the urban marker idea
conceptual clarity and coherence of the design
material integrity and resilience of the marker
All submissions will be kept by the organizers for display purposes during the RAIC / AAA
Festival of Architecture.
Project Oversight
The winning intern(s) shall coordinate and oversee the construction of the marker in
consultation with the RAIC and AAA, and shall be responsible for managing the costs,
schedule and set up and take down of the urban marker at possible venue listed above.
The RAIC / AAA Festival of Architecture organizers shall not be held responsible for
stolen or damaged property or personal injury during the set-up and take-down.
Honoria and Budget
The budget for the creation and construction of the winning marker is $7,500. It is
recommended that this budget be divided in the following fashion:
• up to $1,000.00 for the designers' honorarium.
• up to $4,000.00 (including taxes) for the purchase of materials and/or the
employment of consultants necessary for the realization of the project.
• up to $2,500.00 for labor costs for the construction.
Schedule
February 06, 2015
March 16, 2015 (4:00pm)
March 21, 2015
March 27, 2015
March 30, 2015
April 28, 2015
May 12, 2015
May 30, 2015
June 3, 2015
Announcement of Competition
Deadline for Submissions
Submission Review / Jury
Technical Review
Winner Announcement
Construction Documents Submitted for Review
Construction Commences
Total Completion
Marker Installation at the
RAIC / AAA Festival of Architecture
2002 Urban Marker, Winnipeg, MB, 2002 Tentative Committee
2014 Urban Marker in front of a festival venue, Winnipeg
2014 Urban Marker McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
2014 Urban Marker at the Opening Reception, located at the Human Rights Museum, Winnipeg, MB
photo credit :K.Morphy
The 2015 Urban Marker Competition is organized and presented by Stantec Architecture,
Beakerhead, the Alberta Association of Architects, the Festival Intern Committee,
Storefront Manitoba and the RAIC.