ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Thank you for your interest in the Beyond Granite design competition. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the competition was put on hold and the selection of finalists postponed. No date was determined for when this hold will be lifted. We will post more information as it comes available. See official notice on FedBizOpps.gov

Competition Schedule
Stage I RFQ Issued February 2012
RFQ Submissions Due March 2012
Finalists Announced TBD
Proposals Due TBD
Winner Selected TBD
Installation TBD
Public Display Period TBD

In March 2012, NCPC and GSA invited artists and design professionals to respond to a Request for Qualifications indicating their experience and credentials for designing a new temporary commemorative installation.  The installation will be located at the Ariel Rios Hemicycle, a grassy semi-circle along the west side of 12th Street NW between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues in Washington’s Federal Triangle. (View Map)

An evaluation board consisting of representatives from NCPC, GSA, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and private sector professional peers in the fields of art, architecture, history of memorials, and urban planning reviewed the submissions, and will make a recommendation to the GSA Selection Authority on a short list of artist/design teams.

The selected finalists will be asked to develop conceptual proposals for the commemorative installation in response to an official Request for Proposals (RFP). Short-listed artist/designer teams will also be invited to a Q&A session and site visit, and then given time to develop their proposals.  

The winner of the competition may be contracted to design, fabricate, and install their proposed installation, resulting in a public display at the Hemicycle for a period of approximately one year.  Concurrent with this competition, GSA will be making permanent site enhancements such as new seating and improvements to the landscaping.


THE COMPETITION THEME

Photo: Earth from Space
Image of Earth from Space (Apollo 17)

While the overall objective of this competition is to explore opportunities for temporary commemoration, a theme has been identified to provide a focus for competition submissions. The selected theme is the purpose and positive impact of Earth Day.

Earth Day began and continues as a grass-roots effort to promote environmental awareness and broaden responsibility for our planet, and is now the largest civic observance in the world, with more than 1 billion people participating.  Since the first Earth Day in 1970, this annual awareness and educational event has inspired individuals, businesses, and communities to engage in activities ranging from recycling and watershed clean-ups to nature walks and tree planting. Earth Day also inspired passage of many groundbreaking environmental laws and helped lead to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose offices are housed immediately adjacent to the planned installation site.

NCPC and GSA sought proposals that symbolize the defining precepts of Earth Day and inspire the audience to reflect upon the influence of Earth Day over the past 40 years, and its impact moving forward.  In addition to appropriately embodying the theme, works should also be site specific and designed to respond to the Hemicycle’s urban form and context.