and the winners are...

Design Trust for Public Space in partnership with the Grand Army Plaza Coalition has announced the winners of the urban design ideas competition, Reinventing Grand Army Plaza. The competition resulted in over 200 submissions from around the world with two of the finalists hailing from France.

FIRST PRIZE {TIE}

'Please Wake Me Up!' - Traffic is “squeezed” to the Plaza’s spine, allowing the Plaza to reconnect with surrounding neighborhoods. Regular intersections increase traffic safety. A generous, open urban square offers a sense of tranquility and expansiveness. A market hall becomes the greenmarket’s year-round home.

Submitted by: Gauthier le Romancer, Guillaume Derrien from Paris, France


'Canopy' - stands for a strategy of spanning different areas and uses with a connective or sheltering roof. Green 'canopies' or roof-decks bridge over Flatbush Avenue, which becomes the main north/south vehicle route, freeing the west side of the Plaza for other uses. Canopy-shaped forms become community gardens at the west berm, and a canopy-shaped pool surrounds Bailey Fountain.

Submitted by: Anne-Sophie Coue, Christian Matteau, Stephane Mauget, Chrystelle Sanaa of acc&s2 from Nantes, France


SECOND PRIZE
'Urban Stripes' - The Plaza is divided into five east/west ‘stripes’, connecting communities on either side. Each stripe has a distinct appearance and use. The Plaza’s center becomes a large, paved public space, repositioning the Plaza as Prospect Park’s formal entry.

Submitted by: Andras Jambor, Vincent Hertenberger from Paris, France

THIRD PRIZE


'A Center for Brooklyn' - A wide center Plaza is created by pushing all traffic to a broad, tree-lined circular boulevard. The expanded center becomes a platform for a range of community activities, much like Union Square or Bryant Park. An elevated pedestrian promenade circles the Plaza.

Submitted by: James Garrison, Brandt Graves, Simon Kristak, Vanessa Moon, Tim Peterson, Sal Tranchina, Aaron Tweedie, Darshin Van Parijs, Elliot White, and Michael King (Nelson/Nygaard) of Garrison Architects from Brooklyn, New York

From September 13 to October 13, 2008, these visionary plans for a new and improved Grand Army Plaza will be on view in a free, outdoor, public exhibition (designed by Pentagram) in the center of the Plaza.

Visitors to the exhibit will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite ideas via text message in the People's Choice Award; the results will be announced on October 8th.

COMPETITION :: Union Station 2020

The Chicago Architectural Club and the Chicago Humanities Festival announce UNION STATION 2020, an international design ideas competition for the conversion of Chicago’s Union Station into a high-speed rail hub, regional market, and meeting place. This year’s Burnham Prize competition forms part of Burnham 2.0: A Patchwork Plan for Chicago, a composite urban plan that marks the centennial of Burnham and Bennett’s Plan of Chicago.

UNION STATION 2020 asks for innovative solutions for the transformation of Union Station into a center of high speed rail traffic and related programs. It is not simply a question of designing an efficient and functional transit hub. How can this intermodal node become more than a mere knot of infrastructure? What role can this project play in the reconfiguration of Chicago’s West Loop and of the city and region? How can an existing landmark building be transformed to accommodate and generate a new combination of activities while welcoming an unprecedented level of rail traffic? How can we leverage infrastructure to produce other results, to shape the city and the public sphere? How can a point of exchange generate a regional culture? And what does ‘culture’ mean, anyway?

Prizes:
First Prize: $10,000
Second Prize: $3,000
Third Prize: $1,500
Up to 3 Honorable Mentions will be awarded.

The top ten entries, including all prize winners and honorable mentions, will be featured in the Burnham 2.0 exhibit to be held at the Chicago History Museum, opening November 8, 2009.

Results of the competition will be featured in the Chicago Architectural Club Burnham 2.0 publication.

Deadline:
Competitors may submit material online anytime between October 10, 2008 and October 15, 2008. Registration is open, and may be completed anytime before the deadline.

Entry Fee:
Professionals: $80
Students: $50 (with valid student ID card)