san francisco union square redesign competition
Urbndsgns
TOWARD A MORE PERFECT UNION: AN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION FOR THE
FUTURE OF UNION SQUARE.
The San Francisco Prize and Mayor Willie Brown, in cooperation with the
Union Square Association, the citizens of San Francisco and Macy's,
announces an open competition for the redesign of Union Square in San
Francisco. This competition calls for visions and solutions that will
resolve the challenges of creating a revived Union Square that once again
celebrates San Francisco. The City of San Francisco is committed to
renovating this public open space, and will interview the winners of this
competition for retention by the City as part of a design team. The
winners may also develop their work for exhibition at the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art in 1998.
Union Square is the heart of San Francisco. It is the outdoor living
room of one of the most livable cities in America, the place where
commerce, culture and civic life come together. Union Square is also a
quintessential urban public space. It is the hub of the retail district,
the center of one of America's most vibrant shopping areas, and the stage
on which countless visitors and San Franciscans see and are seen. This
competition seeks to find a way of giving shape to all those ways in which
Union Square lies at the heart of the city we call San Francisco.
The competition involves developing a design scheme that is inviting to a
wide variety of users as the renewed focal point for the surrounding area.
The design must accommodate both many programmatic uses, such as concerts
and art fairs, as well as such potential fixed amenities as a cafe, a
tourist information center, and public restrooms. The parameters for the
competition encompass the entire square area up to the building facades
enclosing the square including the crosswalks, garage entrances, adjacent
sidewalks, and the sidewalks facing the square. The Dewey Memorial column
must remain in the square, but there is latitude in its ultimate
placement. Similarly, the parking garage must remain a viable use, but
entrants are encouraged to explore modifications that could improve both
the square and the operation of the garage.
TOWARD A MORE PERFECT UNION: AN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION FOR THE
FUTURE OF UNION SQUARE IS AN OPEN COMPETITION. We welcome entries from
around the world and from a variety of callings.
The San Francisco Prize
The Union Square Competition is the Second San Francisco Prize.
Established in 1995 by a coalition of professional design organizations,
planning and urban design advocacy groups, and the San Francisco Museum of
Modern Art, the Prize is an annual call for design for a space, object or
tool for urban living that the City of San Francisco could and should
have.
JURY
Aaron Betsky--SFMOMA, San Francisco
Sheila de Bretteville--Graphic Designer--New Haven
Gerald Green--Planning Director, SF Planning Department,
Allan Jacobs--Urban Designer--San Francisco
David Kelley--Industrial Designer--San Francisco
Thom Mayne, Architect/Urban Designer--Los Angeles
Louis Meunier--Macy's--San Francisco
Achva Stein, Landscape Architect--Los Angeles
COMPETITION DATA
The registration deadline for the competition is June 6, 1997 and all
entries are due by July 7, 1997.
For more information about TOWARD A MORE PERFECT UNION, please send an
email to Evan Rose, Competition Project Manager at: Evan...@ci.sf.ca.us
Or call 415.558.6311 or fax 415.558.6426