for Kowloon East Kowloon East, Hong Kong Call for Submission http://www.venicebiennale. hk/2012/buildabench LA 13 TH BIENNALE DI VENEZIA AND HONG KONG RESPONSE EXHIBITION WWW.VENICEBIENNALE.HK
DESIGN BRIEF: WHAT IF A BENCH WAS MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO SIT? Competitors are asked to devise innovative yet also constructible designs for a bench to be placed in the Kowloon East development area of Hong Kong. The design of a new bench offers an opportunity to create a recognizable identity for this complex area full of diverse spatial conditions from expansive public waterfront parks to dense former industrial warehouses. It should act to develop the pedestrian oriented, place-making ambitions of the Hong Kong Development Bureau s recently launched Energizing Kowloon East initiative, as well as offer the opportunity of a counter-dialogue to the official master plan by expanding on the small scale, community interventions which are already a thriving part of the district. The winning design individual or team will work with the Hong Kong Institute of Architects ( HKIA ) and the Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO) to fabricate and install a physical prototype of their bench design on the street outside the EKEO Office s as part of La 13th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition Inter/Intra Cities: Ghostwriting the Future to be held in May 2013. ORGANIZED BY: SPONSORED BY: IN COLLABORATION WITH: LA 13 TH BIENNALE DI VENEZIA AND HONG KONG RESPONSE EXHIBITION WWW.VENICEBIENNALE.HK
ABOUT The primary purpose of the competition is to design a durable, affordable, repeatable public bench capable of comfortably seating 3 6 people. Designs should be in sufficient detail to be able to build a full-scale working prototype and to assess the practicality of the proposal. Entrants are free to consider other appropriate functions that the bench might perform. A range of possible contexts should be considered. Good street furniture needs to be robust yet elegant, durable yet affordable, repeatable but not repetitive, adaptable but universal. When designed to accommodate all these concerns, street furniture can become a symbol for a whole district or city culture: the London red telephone box, the Parisian park bench. The repeated unit becomes a datum against which change or difference can be registered: a familiar landmark in new territory, a punctuation mark in the unfolding dialogue of a journey down a street. The challenge of designing successful street furniture constantly evolves as new materials, technologies and fabrication techniques become available. New designs for street furniture must embrace more complex user requirements (e.g. mobility impaired access), and the laudable aim of reducing street clutter now being embraced in some city centres means that street furniture might need to provide solutions to more than one problem: lighting, wi-fi, rainwater capture, city greening etc. Enhancing habitat, improving microclimate, wayfinding, disseminating information are all aspects of urban life which might benefit from the deployment of small repeated units across the city. ELIGIBILITY This is open to anyone who is interested in submitting his or her idea; Interdisciplinary, school and student teams are highly encouraged. The winning individual or team will need to show sufficient skills to develop and fabricate their full-scale bench prototype. Submissions can be the work of an individual or a group up to 4 members and there is no age limit. JUDGING CRITERIA 1. Idea 2. Buildability 3. Sustainability 4. Flexibility 5. Affordability - it must be possible to construct a prototype bench for under HK$50,000.
SITE & LOCATION The competition will focus on the redevelopment area of Kowloon East. This is a complex area of Hong Kong, the future of which has been much debated, with a diverse array of spatial conditions, from new, open public waterfront parks to tightly planned former industrial areas now under a variety of new re-uses. A bench should successfully work as a repeatable element and fit into a variety of situations and environments. The bench should be shown as it would sit in a range of potential settings such as a park, waterfront plaza, industrial street, interior atrium of a shopping center in the Kowloon East development area. looking at a range of potential settings within the Kowloon East development area of Hong Kong. PARK WATERFRONT BUS STOP STREET STREET
JURY Ms. Corrin Chan Member of Steering Committee, La 13 th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition/ HKIA Representative Mr. Christopher Law Curator of La 13 th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition/ Director of the Oval Partnership Ms. Winnie Ho Deputy Head of Energizing Kowloon East Office Dr. Kacey Wong Public Artist Mr. Scot Laughton Furniture/Product Designer and Educator PRIZES First Prize: HKD 20,000 Collaboration with competition organizers on the manufacturing of the winning bench prototype Second Prize: HKD10,000 Third Prize: HKD5,000 Honorable Mentions: The Jury will choose honourable mentions to be exhibited at the 13 th La Venice Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition. *All winning entries will be given a certificate *1st Prize, 2nd Prize and 3rd Prize will be published in following media: Hong Kong Institute of Architects website La 13 th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition website Hong Kong Arts Development Council website Hong Kong Ambassador of Design website EKEO website Perspective Magazine (TBC) *Special prizes will be presented to winners from school and student submission, at discretion of the Jury. * The competition organizers and the Jury would possess the sole discretion of manufacturing the bench prototype. SCHEDULE Announcement of : January 2013 Registration Open: 6 Feburary 2013 Questions Deadline: 25 February 2013 All enquires should be sent to vb-bench@hkia.net Registration Deadline: 1 April 2013 5pm HKT Submission Deadline: 30 April 2013 5pm HKT Jury Evaluation: May 2013 Announcement of Winners: May 2013, all winning entries will be given individual notification. Results of the competition will be announced at the opening of La 13 th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition. Results will not be given over the telephone. Exhibition of Winning Entries: May 2013, in conjunction with La 13 th Biennale di Venezia and Hong Kong Response Exhibition. REGISTRATION Free registration To register visit the competition website at www.venicebiennale.hk/2012/buildabench Registration Deadline: 1 April 2013 5pm HKT *A unique identification code will be given upon successful registration.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS ELIGIBILITY This is open to anyone who is interested in submitting his or her idea; Interdisciplinary, school and student teams are highly encouraged. The winning individual or team will need to show sufficient skills to develop and fabricate their fullscale bench prototype. Submissions can be the work of an individual or a group up to 4 members and there is no age limit. RULES No personal identifying information should be visible on any of the material submitted other than your entry code. The author of design retains the copyright of his works and the Organiser s copyright for submitted designs is limited to their exhibition and publication in relation to the. The design awarded first prize can only be used by the Organiser upon his commissioning the author to carry out the project in relation to the. POST YOUR SUBMISSION TO HKIA: 19/F, One Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Attn: Ms. Yvonne God Submission Deadline: 30 April 2013 5pm HKT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 1. One A2 Board in Landscape format Drawings on board must show the Bench as it would sit in the public realm and demonstrate the constructability of the bench unique identification number should be displayed on the top right-hand corner of submission board 2. Written Design Statement max.500 words 3. One CD with all digital files of submission Name each file: unique identification number (eg. 2478)_designboard.pdf unique identification number (eg. 2478)_designstatement.doc Choose 2 images to use for marketing purposes, save as jpgs at both high resolution (300dpi) and low resolution (150dpi) unique identification number (eg. 2478)_marketing1high.jpg unique identification number (eg. 2478)_marketing1low.jpg unique identification number (eg. 2478)_marketing2high.jpg unique identification number (eg. 2478)_marketing2low.jpg 4. Optional Model Submission One physical model submission in addition to the panel submission can be made but is not required Size limited to 240mmW x 120mmL x 120mmH Unique identification number should be displayed on the right-hand corner of submission