Architects Choose Site for Design Competition for Newark Visitor's Center
By Mel Fabrikant Monday, July 27, 2009, 03:04 PM EDT
If you've ever thought that Newark, New Jersey's largest city and a city rich in history, cultural attractions and entertainment venues deserves its own Visitor's Center, you have company in the form of the Newark and Suburban Architects section of the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ).
To put Newark on an equal footing with the nation's other major cities, Newark and Suburban Architects, in conjunction with its Emerging Professionals and Young Architects Forum programs, is sponsoring an international design competition for a Visitor's Center for the city.
In an effort to make the competition as relevant to Newark's needs as possible, the competition committee worked with the city's planners to identify a site that could actually be used for such a structure. The recently announced site is at 923 Raymond Blvd. in downtown Newark, just a five-minute walk from Newark Penn Station.
"This is a conceptual design competition, but we hope it will inspire the city to actually build a center at this or some other suitable location," said Alok K. Saksena, Associate AIA, LEED AP, the competition's creator and coordinator. "The site will be a transition between the urban fabric of Newark and the surrounding area."
The deadline for registrations is Aug. 31 with the deadline for submissions being Oct. 15. The awards ceremony will be held in January 2010 with the date to be announced. For more information, visit the competition's Web site at www.visitnewarknj.org.
The challenge is to design a center that becomes a destination spot on its own and that also creates a clear identity for Newark, celebrates its unique heritage, reinforces the city's image as a gateway to the wider metropolitan experience, brings the city closer to its residents and incorporates the city's business interests, Saksena said.
"Every major city in the nation has some sort of visitor's hub that welcomes visitors and funnels them to restaurants, civic monuments and community and cultural events," Saksena continued. "We have launched this competition to call the public's attention to the need for such a center in Newark."
In particular, the contest calls for a design for a 13,435-square-foot building with elements allowing for multi-faceted uses including an information center, an auditorium, an interactive display area, gallery space, a conference room, a café and a gift shop. In addition, the contest calls for the design to incorporate "green" or sustainable elements.
One of the main challenges of the design will be access. Although the site is near Newark Penn Station, offering access to public transportation, the architects will be asked to take patrons who drive into consideration with innovative solutions for on-site parking, while also creating a pedestrian friendly site.
This is the second consecutive year that AIA-NJ's Newark and Suburban Architects section has sponsored a design competition. Last year's competition, "Live the Box," challenged architects to use discarded shipping containers as the primary design element in an urban, multi-family, mixed-use project for Newark.
One hundred and fifty participants from 26 states and 13 countries, including those from as far away as Turkey, South Korea and Romania responded to the Web-only design competition. The competition committee is hoping for an even bigger response for this year's competition, which is also being held via the Web. The design competition is still seeking sponsors. For more information on sponsorship please visit the Web site.
In addition to Saksena, members of the competition committee include Melvin Williams III, co-coordinator and Webmaster; Karen Bonner, and Christopher Stone, sponsorship; Julie Pagnotta, section administrator; Carolyn Caste, Webmaster; and Matthew Bilow, Gauri Shirvalkar,
Marcos Figueroa, Priya Shah, Kim de Freitas, Ana Sousa and Clair Wholean.
About AIA and AIA New Jersey The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the professional organization that helps architects serve the public's needs and builds awareness of the role of architects and architecture in American society. The organization, which was founded in 1857, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., its 300 plus local chapters represent 86,000 licensed architects and associated professionals. AIA New Jersey, based in Trenton, is the local chapter of AIA. In 2000, it celebrated its 100th anniversary. AIA New Jersey has about 2,000 members in six regional sections. For more information, please visit www.aia-nj.org.
About AIA Newark and Suburban Architects
AIA Newark and Suburban Architects is a section of AIA New Jersey and a chapter and region of the American Institute of Architects. It is a non-profit organization that serves more than 500 members in Morris, Union and Essex Counties. Through public education and outreach, community redevelopment and government advocacy and partnerships, AIA Newark and Suburban Architects protects the professional interests of its members while working to create a responsive public environment for architectural and redevelopment projects.
PHOTO CAPTION: View of downtown Newark, N.J., from the Passaic River. Newark and Suburban Architects, a section of the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ) is sponsoring a design competition for a Visitor's Center for Newark that would enhance its future progress as well as celebrate its past.
