Footbridge
Design Ideas Competition
Design Ideas Competition
Access for All footbridge, Southampton Airport Parkway [Image: Network Rail]
The Promoter of the Competition is Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd.
The Competition is being managed and administered by RIBA Competitions. All queries relating to the competition should be directed in the first instance to:
RIBA CompetitionsThe Promoters, the RIBA Architect Adviser, nor any other member of the Technical or Judging Panel should be solicited for information, as this may lead to disqualification from the competition.
The competition is a call for conceptual design ideas only and will be held over a single phase involving the anonymous submission and appraisal of design proposals developed in response to the outline brief.
The competition is open internationally to practising architects, engineers or teams thereof. Students of these design disciplines may also enter the competition as individuals, collectively or members of a wider team with cross-discipline collaboration similarly encouraged.
The following parties are excluded from participating in the Competition and may not compete or assist a Competitor in any way:
The anticipated competition programme, which may be subject to variation, is as follows:
| Task | Proposed date |
|---|---|
| Competition Launch & Registration Opens | Fri. 22 June 2018 |
| Deadline to raise Questions on the Brief | Tues. 10 July 2018, 17.00 (BST) |
| Memo issued in response to Questions | Tues. 24 July 2018 |
| Deadline to apply for Unique Registration Number | Thurs. 13 Sept. 2018, 17.00 (BST) |
| Deadline for receipt of design submissions | Tues. 18 Sept. 2018, 14.00 (BST) |
| Evaluation of design submissions commences | Wed. 19 Sept. 2018 |
| Judging Panel meeting | W/c Mon. 08 Oct. 2018 |
| Public announcement of result | Tbc |
It is anticipated that a Technical Panel will undertake an initial appraisal of the design submissions with a view to recommending a long-list for further consideration by the full Judging Panel. The Technical Panel [which may be subject to change] is expected to comprise:
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Anthony Dewar FICE FRSA | Head of Buildings and Architecture, Network Rail |
| Ian Grimes MCIOB | Principal Engineer, Network Rail |
| Jonathan McDowell RIBA FRSA | Director, Matter Architecture [acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser] |
| Andy Savage FICE FCILT FIRO FPWI | Executive Director, Railway Heritage Trust |
| Trevor Wilson RIBA | Senior Architect, Network Rail |
| Chris Wise FREng FICE FIStructE RDI Hon FRIBA FRSA | Senior Director, Expedition Engineering |
The Judging Panel [which may be subject to change] is expected to comprise:
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Paul Finch OBE, HonFRIBA (Chair) | Programme director of the World Architecture Festival; editorial director of the Architectural Review and Architects' Journal |
| Rowan Conway FRSA | Director of Innovation and Development, Royal Society of Arts |
| Anthony Dewar FICE FRSA | Head of Buildings and Architecture, Network Rail |
| Margaret Hickish MBE NRAC | Managing Director, Design 4 Inclusion Ltd |
| Kay Hughes RIBA AoU FRSA | Founder, Khaa |
| Jonathan McDowell RIBA FRSA | Director, Matter Architecture [acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser] |
| Chris Wise FREng FICE FIStructE RDI Hon FRIBA FRSA | Senior Director, Expedition Engineering |
A representative from RIBA Competitions will attend all assessments to document the selection process and provide procedural support.
The Judging Panel will, subject to later amendment, be provided with advisory assistance from Network Rail representatives and/or consultants employed by them.
In the event of a Judging Panel member being unable to continue to act through illness or any other cause, the Promoter, in consultation with RIBA Competitions, reserves the right to appoint an alternative Panel member.
Questions relating to the Competition Brief and Conditions should be submitted to RIBA Competitions before close of business on Tuesday 10 July 2018 (17.00hrs BST) referencing Network Rail Footbridge Design Ideas Competition in the Subject header line, with the body of the text clearly identifying to which section of the Brief the question relates. The intention will be to make advice arising from queries received available to all Competitors (where doing so is in the interest of maintaining transparency and fairness in the procedure, and would not constitute a breach of confidentiality).
An explanatory Memorandum in response to all questions raised will be circulated to all registered Competitors after Tuesday 24 July 2018. This Memorandum will form part of the Competition Brief. Oral questions will not be accepted.
All design submissions will be judged anonymously, via use of the Unique Registration Number [N#] and Declaration of Authorship form issued at the time of Registration. The URN should be prominently displayed on each element of the design submission and in the digital file names, as per the Submission Requirements.
Any submission that has identifying marks [including logos, text, insignia, or images that could be used to identify the submission's authors] will be automatically disqualified.
The submission must be accompanied by the Declaration of Authorship form which should be duly completed with the URN entered in the box provided. Each Competitor must be able to satisfy the Competition organisers that the submitted design is an original piece of work [prepared for the express purposes of the Competition], and that he/she is the bona fide author of the design proposals he/she has submitted.
Submission of the Declaration of Authorship form acknowledges authorship of the design ideas, and by signing it, Competitors accept all conditions pertaining to the competition and agree to abide by the decision of the Judging Panel. The practice name, company details or individuals stated on the Declaration of Authorship form will be used in all press releases so please ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
It is intended that following the Judging Panel's identification of proposals to be awarded monies from the Design Fund, an on-line gallery resource of publicity images will be uploaded to the competition web site. Any competitor who does not wish to be identified as the author of a scheme on the web gallery should indicate accordingly on the submitted Declaration of Authorship form.
Submissions shall be excluded from the Competition:
There are three elements to the digital anonymous design submission, each of which should bear the Unique Registration Number [URN] only.
Competitors are required to prepare schematic proposals that outline their approach to the design of a fully accessible pedestrian footbridge in response to the challenges set out within the Competition Brief.
Submissions should take the form of 2 No. A2 digital sheets, but the layout should be presented such that it can be readily viewed on-screen and also be legible when printed at A3 size. The A2 sheets should be prepared in landscape format with the Unique Registration Number prominently displayed in the top right hand corner, together with the sheet number (1 of 2 etc.). The sheets should be illustrated in a clear and succinct manner to enable Panel members to readily understand the approach and design drivers behind the proposals. The A2 sheets should include:
The digital A2 sheets should be presented in landscape format, as a single PDF file of <25Mb. The file name should consist of the URN and item description, for example:
Up to 3 No. images should be provided for potential future media-use purposes, which may include an on-line gallery of all competition entries and/or a physical exhibition of long-listed submissions. The images should be representative of the ideas proposed and be readily identifiable as such - one of the images should be the 3D visualisation depicting the footbridge's overall proposed built form. Applicants should bear in mind that plans do not necessarily reproduce well in the printed media and/or on-line.
Each publicity image should be submitted in JPEG format with high (300dpi) and low (72dpi) resolution versions of each image. The file name should consist of the URN and item description, for example:
A PDF version of the duly completed Declaration of Authorship form, with the file name to consist of the URN and item description:
Deadline for Return: 14.00hrs (BST), Tuesday 18 September 2018.
Items 1 to 3 of the submission requirements must be submitted via RIBA Competitions' digital submission portal. All required elements of the submission must be received by the stated deadline. A unique link for this purpose will have been e-mailed to the contact address provided at the time of registration. Applicants are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with the submission portal and allow sufficient time for their entry to successfully upload prior to the submission deadline. RIBA Competitions and Network Rail will not be responsible for any files that are delayed, lost or otherwise damaged or corrupted during transmission, however so caused. The portal will not accept any material to upload once the submission deadline has expired.
The design submissions will be assessed against the following criteria which will have an equal weighting:
| i | Overall quality of response, the design aesthetic and resonance of the approach with the aspirations set for the accessible pedestrian footbridge project |
| ii | Response to the practical challenges and technical constraints set in the Brief |
| iii | Creative and innovative approaches with elements that could potentially be incorporated into a realisable standard footbridge design |
| iv | Clear communication of ideas to explain the ethos and drivers behind the proposals |
It is anticipated that the design submissions will be subject to an initial review by a Technical Panel comprised of the RIBA Architect Adviser, the external expert engineer together with representatives from Network Rail's Buildings and Architecture, and Engineering teams. The Technical Panel will be responsible for recommending a long-list of submissions for further consideration by the full Judging Panel. In undertaking the initial review, the Technical Panel will appraise each submission against the Evaluation Criteria and assign each to an upper ['A'], middle ['B'], or lower ['C'] category submission according to the Table given below.
| Upper category submission ['A'] | 'A' grading for all four criteria | Equating to >8/10 against all criteria |
| Middle category submission ['B'] | 'B' grading for majority of criteria | Equating to between 5/10 and 7/10 for each criterion |
| Lower category submission ['C'] | 'C' grading for majority of criteria | Equating to between 0/10 and 4/10 for each criterion |
The long-list will be identified from the upper category submissions by successive rounds of ierative debate and evaluation against the stated criteria.
The Judging Panel will use the scoring guide below to appraise the submissions recommended by the Technical Panel against the Evaluation Criteria and identify the design proposal(s) to be awarded monies from the Design Fund.
| Score Band | Definition | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Score of 10 |
Excellent | In the opinion of the evaluators, the Bidder's response or information provided is exceptional or exemplary in relation to the project and the criterion being scored. |
| Score of 8–9 |
Very Good | In the opinion of the evaluators, the Bidder's response or information provided addresses all requirements and exceeds the normal expectation in relation to the project and the criterion being scored. |
| Score of 6–7 |
Good | In the opinion of the evaluators, the Bidder's response or information provided is acceptable and meets the normal requirement/expectation in respect of the project and the criterion being scored. |
| Score of 3–5 |
Poor / Sub-optimal | In the opinion of the evaluators, the Bidder's response or information provided falls below the normal requirement/expectation in respect of the project and the criterion being scored. |
| Score of 1–2 |
Very Weak / Weak | In the opinion of the evaluators, the Bidder's response or information provided does not adequately address the stated requirement/expectation in respect of the project and the criterion being scored. |
| Score of 0 |
Unacceptable | The Bidder fails to provide a response, or provides information which in the opinion of the evaluators provides insufficient detail for evaluation, and/or does not address the requirements. |
The Competition result will be published after notification has been given to all participating Competitors. Please note that any requests for feedback should be submitted to RIBA Competitions within one calendar month of the result being announced.
Competitors will be expected to honour a confidentiality agreement and must not release their designs for publication, or identify the name of the successful or unsuccessful designers to any third parties until after an official announcement has been made and/or anonymity lifted. In this context this includes (but without limitation) radio, television, newspapers, trade and specialist press, the internet and email accessible by the public at large and the representatives of such media.
Network Rail and RIBA Competitions reserve the right to publicise the Competition, any design submission, and the result in any way or medium they consider fit. Illustrations of any design - either separately, or together with other designs, with or without explanatory text - may be used without cost. This may include an on-line gallery of all competition entries and/or a physical exhibition of long-listed submissions.
Once anonymity has been lifted, authors will be credited and recognised in all associated media and publicity.
A Design Fund of £20,000 will be available for award at discretion of the Judging Panel, and it is currently envisaged that £20,000 will be awarded to the submission judged to be the best response to the challenges outlined in the Competition Brief. It shall be a condition of entry that the author(s) of any submission awarded monies from the Design Fund will be required to grant Network Rail a royalty-free, Non-Exclusive License to use elements of their design proposals without further input of the authors of the designs. Copyright will however remain vested in the authors of the work, as per the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In the event that the Judging Panel considers that no one scheme meets the aspirations set for the Footbridge for the Future Competition the right will be reserved not to award the full design fund and/or award a lesser amount(s).
The Judging Panel may also identify a series of highly commended schemes which will be acknowledged in all associated publicity, but will be not attract a monetary award. Should Network Rail wish to develop any of the highly commended or other schemes in the future, this would be subject to further agreement between Network Rail and the authors of the scheme concerned.
Potential Applicants should note that the Competition is a call for design ideas only and Network Rail do not currently anticipate that a design commission will result from it. The role of RIBA Competitions is limited to the administration and management of the competition process.
