The goal of this competition is to create an identity for Grand Acres, a community garden in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven. Grand Acres is one of the community gardens owned and managed by the New Haven Land Trust (NHLT). The goal of this design competition is to create an identity and a sense of unity and permanence for Grand Acres that could also serve as a model for other community gardens around the city.
Competition Results
Following it's launch in mid March 2010 the Grand Acres Community Garden Competition attracted entries from Chicago and Colorado in the Mid West, New Jersey and New Haven on the east coast and as far a field as, Oldham in England. The competition, run by New Haven Land Trust (NHLT) and Architecture for Humanity’s New Haven chapter, invited entrants to design an element or elements to improve Grand Acres community garden, in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood.
The four-member jury was made up of Dean Sakamoto FAIA, LEED AP of Dean Sakamoto Architectures, and Shavaun Towers FASLA of Towers Golde Landscape Architects, NHLT president Chris Randall, and NHLT Gardening Committee chair Benjamin Gardner.
While entries came from a wide area, the winning scheme was a joint entry, named Living Light, from two local designers Britton Rogers and Derek Byron. Describing their submission Shavaun Towers noted that it "offered the strongest visual and artistic elements in the context of a plan that was one of the clearest and most achievable. Its signature elements addressed both identity and sustainability and had a universality that offered potential for replication on other Land Trust properties."
The winning design will be built during the summer of 2010, and the winning designers will receive a $100 cash prize sponsored by Atelier Ten environmental design consultants.
Background
The New Haven Land Trust (NHLT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to land conservation, environmental education and community gardening in New Haven. The Land Trust manages the Community Garden Program, which provides land, technical assistance and supplies to almost 50 community gardens.
NHLT would like to make their gardens, many of which are at risk for development, more "permanent" with various structures, fences, rainwater harvesting systems and/or architectural landscaping. Grand Acres, one of the first community gardens in New Haven, located at 47 Grand Ave., would benefit from a unifying concept to create a sense of place. This garden was created by a grassroots effort when a group of people from Perkins Street decided that they wanted something better for the neighborhood than the abandoned, overgrown and littered lot that was occupying the space. Today, the Grand Acres Garden is a fixture in the neighborhood where people meet, socialize, work together, nurture plants, harvest food and grow community. The intervention resulting from this design competition will help create a better setting for this activity and identify the presence of this strong community to the rest of the neighborhood.
http://www.newhavenlandtrust.org/gardens/grand-acres
Fair Haven is a neighborhood on the outskirts of New Haven, located between the Quinnipiac and Mill Rivers. It was once a vibrant oyster port and much of its commerce was linked to the products of the river. Grand Acres has a view of the Grand Avenue Bridge which crosses the Quinnipiac River.
Architecture for Humanity, New Haven is a chapter of Architecture for Humanity, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings design services to communities in need.
The Challenge
The challenge of this competition is to design an element or a series of elements that can be constructed with volunteer labor to give the garden a sense of permanence.
Elements that may be considered include, but are not limited to:
- Seating
- Signage
- Rain water collection systems
- Tool sheds
- Fencing
- Planters
- Walkways
- Patios
There is a budget of $750 for materials. All labor will be volunteers, so designs should be straightforward and simple to construct.
Teams are also encouraged to explore reclaimed and salvaged materials. Such as tires, wood pallets, oyster shells and should include brief explanation of potential sources.
Entries will be judged on:
- Program
- Strength of concept
- Construct-ability
- Durability
- Sustainability
- Aesthetics
- Usability
- Budget
Resources
Resources are available in the Grand Acres Competition Resources file space, including:
- Sketch plan of garden space at 47 Grand Ave
- Images of the site at 47 Grand Ave
- Input from users of 47 Grand Ave
Submission Requirements
File names and format for submitting materials will be posted on the competition website.
- A maximum of 4 - 1080 X 720 pixel jpgs landscape format. These images may include any combination of concept sketches, plans/sections/elevations, perpectives and photographs of models. The submission should clearly depict the element or elements and provide enough information (dimensions, materials) so that these elements could be constructed. These images will be projected for judging.
- A list of materials and estimated budget
- A written description of the design of no more than 300 words clarifying the concept and design strategies
Eligibility
The competition is open to all. There are no restrictions on team size or number of entries per team, although each entry will require a separate registration and entry fee.
Prizes
The winning entry will have their design constructed and receive a $100 cash prize, sponsored by Atelier Ten, New Haven. The winning design may be refined for construction after the winner is announced.
The jury will, at their discretion, award citations for additional entries of high merit.
Jury
The jury will consist of:
Shavaun Towers – Landscape Architect
Dean Sakamoto – Architect, & Critic/Director of Exhibitions at Yale School of Architecture
Chris Randall – President of the New Haven Land Trust
Ben Gardner - Garden Coordinator for the Grand Acres Community Garden
Registration
All teams must register by the official registration date using the Open Architecture Network. The registration fees are $15 per entry is payable through PayPal from the Enter Now page.
Logistics
All submissions are non-returnable and all registration fees are non-refundable. Awards decisions are at the discretion of the New Haven Land Trust, Architecture for Humanity New Haven, and the jury. NHLT and AFH retains the right to use any and all submitted work for press, publication, exhibition purposes, and the design & construction of community gardens in New Haven. Copyright to the work is retained by the original author teams. There is no maximum number of submissions that may be made by one team or individual team member. An individual may be part of different teams. However, each submission must be individually registered and fees paid.
Dates
March 18th, 2010: Registration opens. Question period opens.
April 2nd, 2010: Question period closed.
April 9nd, 2010: Answers posted.
May 3rd, 2010 (UPDATED): Registration closes.
May 10th, 2010 (UPDATED): Submission Due.
May 24th, 2010: Winners announced.
