Competition Promoter

The competition is being promoted by the City of York Council with management and support provided by RIBA Competitions.

Eligibility

The competition is open (internationally) to registered architects and architect-led teams. Architects should be registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in the UK, or a recognised overseas regulatory authority.

No member or employee of the promoting body, the jury panel, nor any partner, close associate or employee of them shall be eligible to compete or assist a competitor.

Post-competition

The competition is a call for ideas only and there is no commitment to develop the winning scheme post competition. However, it is hoped and expected that interest in the winning and/or shortlisted competition entries will allow the council to facilitate negotiation leading to the early identification of development partner(s) to progress a scheme.

Competition Format

The competition will be organised in the following stages:

Stage 1: Submission of concept designs which will be assessed anonymously
Stage 2: A shortlist will be invited to present their designs at interview as part of the second stage

Assessment Criteria

• Designs will be assessed against the following criteria:
  • - quality of the design
  • - sustainability of the design
  • - inventiveness and flair
  • - response to site and context
  • - clarity of presentation
  • - viability of the submission
  • - meeting the City's aspirations

Competition Timetable

The anticipated programme, which may be subject to variation, is as follows:

Submission Requirements

Stage 1

• A maximum of 3 x A1 lightweight foam boards, to outline the proposals. The boards which should be in Landscape format must be composed as follows:
  
  
  • Panel 1
  1. Contextual Site Plan 1:500 to show the main features of the design including the public spaces and proposed wider linkages
  2. Contextual River Elevation at 1:500 to show the main elements of the proposal
  3. 3D Axonometric/Isometric from the Riverside at 1:500
  4. Diagrams & Sketches and extract of the summary text from the A4 report
  
  
  • Panel 2
  1. Ground and First Floor Plans at 1:200
  2. Any other plans such as basement and mezzanines
  
  
  • Panel 3
  1. Perspectives interior and exterior showing the main characteristics of the scheme
  2. Elevations at 1:200 or greater of key aspects of the scheme such as elevational detail inc materials 1:50/1:20
  3. Architectural models will NOT be accepted, however photographs of models used to develop the proposals may be included on design panel 3.
• A written statement on a maximum of 4 single sided A4 pages to describe the concept. An additional 2 sided statement on the viability of the proposals will be required at stage 2


• The completed declaration form, placed in a sealed envelope marked 'declaration of authorship'. Submission of the Declaration Form acknowledges authorship of the design ideas, and by signing it, Competitors accept all regulations pertaining to the competition and agree to abide by the decision of the Jury Panel. The declaration form must accompany the design submission - see Anonymity and Stage 1 Submission Requirements.


• A CD containing electronic copies of the design boards (PDF format) and design statement (Word format). The PDFs of the design boards should be <5Mb in size. The CD should also contain publicity images (up to 3) for use in the printed and electronic media. These should be submitted in JPEG format with low (72dpi) and high (300dpi) resolution versions of each image. The publicity images should be representative of the design ideas proposed and be readily identifiable as such.

Stage 2

• Shortlisted schemes will displayed in a public exhibition and the shortlisted designers asked to attend an interview to explain their scheme further to the Jury Panel on 4 December in York.

How to Register / Enter

You may only submit an entry to the competition if you are officially registered through RIBA Competitions. The competition is subject to a non-refundable registration and administration fee of £50.00 + VAT. Please visit www.architecture.com/competitions and follow the appropriate link under 'Live Competitions' to make an on-line payment. For alternative payment options please contact RIBA Competitions.

Once your payment has been processed, you will be issued with a unique registration number (URN) and a declaration form. The declaration form acknowledges authorship of the design ideas submitted and by signing it, competitors agree to abide by the competition conditions and the decision of the jury panel. The completed declaration form should be placed in a sealed envelope to accompany the design material and should clearly bear the registration number in the top right hand corner of both the form and the envelope.

Site Visits

Registered applicants will have the opportunity to attend organised site visits which will be held Friday 28 September 2012. Please contact RIBA Competitions to reserve a place.

Submission Method

The design of each competitor is to be contained in a single package and is to be sent, carriage paid, addressed to:

Re-imagining York's Guildhall complex: Connecting River and City
RIBA Competitions
The Studio (5th Floor)
32 The Calls
LEEDS
LS2 7EW

Overseas competitors should note that for Customs purposes no commercial value should be assigned to the design submission. If a commercial value is given, this may result in your submission being delayed and/or returned to you unopened, as the RIBA will not be liable for any Customs charges otherwise incurred.

Your submission should arrive no later than 2.00pm on Tuesday 6 November 2012. Late submissions will not be accepted and it will not be possible to submit entries via e-mail. UK competitors should note that First Class post does not necessarily guarantee next-day delivery and should plan their submission schedule accordingly.

Competitors requiring proof of delivery are recommended to use a 'signed for' delivery service and should check with Royal Mail/their courier provider in the first instance.

Competitors are advised to retain copies of designs submitted. Whilst the promoter and RIBA Competitions will exercise all reasonable care, they will not be responsible for loss or damage to the submission material that may occur either in transit, during exhibition, storage or packing.

Anonymity

Designs and accompanying material shall be submitted without name, motto or distinguishing marks of any kind. The submission should be accompanied by the completed declaration form, which should be placed in a sealed envelope marked 'declaration of authorship'.

Each entry must clearly display the unique registration number issued upon registration prominently on the front face of each and every board/page of your submission material. Please refer to the section on 'How to Register'.

A successful competitor must be able to satisfy the judges that he/she is the bona fide author of the design he/she has submitted.

Judging

The Jury Panel (which may be subject to change) is expected to comprise:

• Keith Williams, Keith Williams Architects RIBA Adviser & Jury Chair
• Cllr Julie Gunnell, Cabinet member for Corporate Services, City of York Council
• Cllr Dave Merrett, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability
• A business representative / Chair of York Economic Partnership
• Ken Powell, Independent Architectural Critic and Writer
• Darren Richardson, Director of City and Environmental Services at City of York Council
• David Warburton, City of York Council, Head of Design Conservation and Sustainable Development
• Joanne Wallis, RIBA Competitions Consultant (observer)

In the event of a jury panel member being unable to continue to act through illness or any other cause, the promoter in consultation with the RIBA, reserves the right to appoint an alternative panel member.

In addition to the Jury Panel, shortlisted entries will be reviewed by an advisory panel of key City stakeholders. Their comments will be forwarded to the Jury Panel to help inform their decision. As will views arising from the public exhibition of the shortlisted designs.

Disqualification

Submissions shall be excluded from the competition:

• if received after the latest time stated under the Submission Method
• if, in the opinion of the jury panel, it does not fulfil the requirements of the brief
• if a competitor shall disclose his or her identity, or improperly attempt to influence the decision
• if any of the mandatory requirements of the competition brief and conditions are disregarded.

Copyright

The ownership of Copyright in the work of all competitors will be in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988, that is Copyright rests with the author of the submitted design.

Publicity

The promoter and the RIBA reserve the right to exhibit or publish any design submission entered to the York Competition and the result in any way or medium they consider fit for the purpose of publicity. Illustrations of any design - either separately, or together with other designs, with or without explanatory text - may be used without cost.

Once anonymity has been lifted, authors will be credited and recognised in all associated media and publicity.

Announcement of Award

At the conclusion of each stage the RIBA will publish the winning names after communicating it individually to each of the competitors.