Part 6: Tools and Applications
Design Competitions
Sheffield city centre offers a number of opportunities where the
promotion of national and international design competitions would
be an appropriate way of raising design expectations and the interest
of professionals and the public. Design competitions have in the
past been effective in raising the quality in the urban design debate
and had an influence on the enhancement of the civic reputation
of the locality, for example:
- Paris has for many years pursued a policy of procuring the design
of major public buildings and urban spaces through an international
competition process. This has been championed at the highest political
levels and has added immeasurably to national prestige as well
as attracting to the city a whole new generation of cultural tourists;
- The Austrian city of Gratz offers a good example of how a city
of a smaller scale can use the competition process to help establish
an internationally recognised programme of architectural excellence.
The city’s achievements lead to its selection as European City
of Culture 2003.
Design competitions can be organised directly by public authorities,
private developers or a partnership of both. Many clients or promoters
employ an experienced independent agency such as the RIBA to organise
and conduct the process but ultimately, the process is driven by
the requirements of the client group. The main requirements, if
the best design talent is to be attracted, is to have a clear brief
and a completely fair and transparent process.
The RIBA offers advice on a variety of standard competitive processes
which can be followed when trying to find the right architect design
solution for a development site. These include:
- Open Ideas Competition: This process allows the identification
of a broad range of design solutions based on a conceptual brief
provided by the client. Various solutions can be explored without
a commitment to build.
- Competitive Interview: This will enable the developer to find
the right architect or design team. A variety of consultants are
invited to submit an expression of interest based on the tender
brief. At this stage a broad project brief and a commitment to
build is required.
- Open Project Competition: This aims to find a design solution.
It involves a two stage process which in the first instance is
open to all registered professionals who would submit a detailed
project brief and a commitment to build. It would then be short-listed
until the right design team and solution for the development site
have been selected.
- Invited Competition: In this scenario the client selects a short-list
of potential architects to find the best design solution for the
development site. These architects submit a detailed project brief
and the most suitable candidate is chosen based in their entry.
Other forms of competition frequently used at the moment are Design
and Build and procurement by PFI/PPP, where design is a part only
of the competitive submission, alongside cost and the offer of other
services. In some cases this approach has proved useful to emphasise
the primacy of design and quality of product but generally, the
cost and transfer of development risk are judged to be of greater
importance. It is therefore difficult to visualise how this method
of procurement will be effective in promoting the quality aspired
to in the Compendium unless there is positive discrimination in
favour of design content.
It is not the intention that these processes are viewed as rigid
rules of the competition process. Sheffield City Council and other
potential client groups are encouraged to adapt and/or combine these
approaches to suit the requirements of the client group and the
project site.
In Sheffield local design competitions should be encouraged to
showcase new talent and provide an opportunity for debate and dialogue
amongst the general public. Given the right project and an inspiring
brief, design competitions can provide a context for experimentation
and innovation which often have spin-off benefits for other sectors
of the community.
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