King's Square, Gloucester

The RIBA Competitions Office is organising a competition on behalf of Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company Ltd for a consultant team to work with them to prepare a landscaping and public realm scheme in the historic city of Gloucester. The competition seeks expressions of interest from multi-disciplinary design teams with exceptional design skills.

Description
Gloucester is renewing itself with a substantial programme of regeneration. An outstandingly talented and experienced landscape/urban design team is needed to help transform and remake King’s Square, Gloucester’s largest and most important public square. The winning team will be selected through a two-stage competition, and it is Gloucester URC Ltd’s intention to work with the winning team to deliver the public square landscaping in 2008.
The aim is to create a large modern urban space which offers the flexibility to accommodate major outdoor events as well as providing a public gathering space and a place to linger in the context of a major new shopping scheme extending the city’s retail circuit. The public realm scheme relates to a major retail and leisure led regeneration project in the heart of the city.

A total budget of £4M (to include all fees and disbursements, enabling works/service diversions, public art works and incidental costs) has been allocated for the landscaping renewal of Kings Square (including the Oxbode and St Aldate Street) by English Partnerships, the South West Regional Development Agency, and Gloucester City Council. Landscaping works to adjacent streets will be delivered separately.

Criteria for Selection
Stage one selection will be based upon the following criteria :
- Design Quality
- demonstrable inspiration and creativity in recent work
- Resource & Experience
- team experience and ability
- experience in the design of similar projects
- evidence of capacity to deliver the project
- Communication
- response to and compliance with requirements set out in this briefing paper
- experience of/approach to working collaboratively and community consultation

Jury
The Jury Panel will be chaired by Les Sparks, and will include promoter representatives and an RIBA Architectural Adviser (name to be confirmed on the RIBA Competitions website in due course).
The panel will be advised by a technical panel comprising experts from the Client Group and Partners, including the GHURC Design Review Panel, and Business and Residents Community Forum.

Judging Process
Stage 1 : Expressions of Interest (requirements set out below)
Stage 2 : A shortlist of up to 6 teams invited to produce concept designs. Assessment will involve an interview with the judging panel.

Prize
Winning team: £10,000 (which will be an advance on fees for the project)
All other shortlisted teams: £5,000 (each)

Entries
Expressions of interest should comprise no more than 20 single sided A4 pages, bound, providing the following information :
1. Full contact details of the lead consultant (ie the architects), identifying one point of contact for the competition.
2. Introduction to the lead consultant and motivational statement
3. Details of the proposed consultants and examples of where the team has worked together previously
4. Three client referees for the lead consultant
5. Details of relevant projects, including illustrations
6. Details of the lead consultant’s current level of Professional Indemnity Insurance

Timetable
Brief issued to shortlist : 18 February 2008
Deadline for concept designs : 20 March 2008
Consultation / meeting of advisory bodies : 21 – 25 March 2008
Final judging (including interviews) : 27 March 2008

Promoter
Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company Ltd, RIBA

Official Website
http://www.architecture.com/...