RE-IMAGINING THE GARDEN CITY Architecture Competition

RE-IMAGINING THE GARDEN CITY ‐

DESIGN IDEAS COMPETITION

BRIEF

Introduction and Invitation

This design ideas competition aims to discover new designs for a modern garden city to meet the needs of the 21st century, whilst recapturing the pioneering spirit that led to the development of the world’s first garden city at Letchworth.
The competition is seeking master planning concepts for the proposed residential development of a 45 Hectare site to the north of Letchworth, which will be the first expansion of the Garden City in a generation.
The design competition is being managed by RIBA Competitions on behalf of the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation (the Foundation) in partnership with the Town and Country Planning Association, Homes England, Anglian/Affinity Water, Building Research Establishment and the University of Hertfordshire.
Letchworth Garden City was the brainchild of Ebenezer Howard, a social reformer who sought to address issues of deprivation, squalid living conditions and the inequity of high rents, by reforming land ownership and combining the best of living and working in the town and country, through a series of planned settlements, known as Garden Cities. Howard’s principles, set out in his 1898 publication, ‘To–Morrow a Peaceful Path to Real Reform’ , sought a social, community and economic model, where value is captured from land and reinvested back into the local community. This included detailed funding and expenditure projections, community governance and stewardship.

SCHEDULE

Competition launch Registration opens with interested parties able to apply for supporting information : Wed. 17 Oct. 2018
Deadline to raise Questions on the Brief Thurs. 08 Nov. 2018, 17.00 (GMT) Memorandum issued in response to Questions Tues. 20 Nov. 2018 Deadline to apply for Unique Registration Number Tues. 11 Dec. 2018, 17.00 (GMT) Deadline for receipt of design submissions Thurs. 13 Dec. 2018, 14.00 (GMT) Evaluation of design submissions commences w/c Mon. 17 Dec. 2018 Judging Panel meeting w/c Mon. 07 Jan. 2019 or w/c Mon. 14 Jan. 2019 Shortlist & unsuccessful competitors notified w/c Mon. 21 Jan. 2019 Issue of Feedback on Phase 1 schemes to Shortlist Group site visit & briefing session for Shortlist w/c Mon. 28 Jan. 2019 Fri. 01 Feb. 2019 (date Tbc) Deadline to raise Clarification Questions Fri. 08 Feb. 2019, 17.00 (GMT) Memorandum issued in response to Questions Fri. 15 Feb. 2019 Phase 2 submission deadline Thurs. 07 March 2019, 14.00 (GMT) Public exhibition & community engagement events w/c Mon. 11 March 2019 to w/c Mon. 25 March 2019 Presentations to Judging Panel w/c Mon. 08 April 2019 (Tbc) Public announcement of result Tbc

AWARDS

It is intended that four teams will be selected to proceed to the second phase of the competition. Each short‐listed team who submits a phase two entry and attends the clarification interview will each receive an honorarium of £6,000 plus VAT, with an additional £6,000 winner’s prize fund. The honorarium will be paid to the architectural practice leading each design team. Other than the stated honorarium payments, no further expenses will be paid to short‐listed teams. Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation undertakes to pay the Honoraria within four weeks of the conclusion of the competition. Invoices for payment should be submitted to RIBA Competitions. The winning team will be commissioned by the Foundation to provide an indicative master plan for Site LG1, which will form part of the Development Brief and will be used as part of the marketing and partner recruitment exercise. This will be a paid for commission, separate from the Design Competition. The winning team will also be invited by the Foundation to meet its appointed development partner and make a submission for the appointment of lead master planner for Site LG1.

FEES

FREE

JURY

Jane Duncan OBE Director, Jane Duncan Architects + Interiors [acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser] David Ames Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation Member of Board of Trustees (Tbc) Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation Katy Lock Town & Country Planning Association Gillian Hobbs Building Research Establishment Dr Susan Parham University of Hertfordshire Fionnuala Lennon Homes England Allan Simpson Anglian Water

RE-IMAGINING THE GARDEN CITY Architecture Competition