San Antonio’s 300th anniversary in 2018 has inspired the city to re-imagine its river barges.
The city is partnering with The American Institute of Architects, San Antonio Chapter (AIA San Antonio) to run a competition to design new sustainable river barges to be used on the San Antonio River. The competition will open Friday, Oct. 30 to local, national and international teams.
“The San Antonio River is an iconic community feature,” said Nicole Marrone, AIA San Antonio President. “Our chapter is honored to partner with the City of San Antonio on this project to transform the River Walk experience. Local architects applaud the City’s commitment to make the river barge a more sustainable, passenger-friendly experience for tourists and locals alike.”
The first phase of the competition is an open call for teams to submit a narrative explaining their concept along with detailed renderings. A nine-person jury will select three finalists who best design an economically-feasible electric fleet.
The three finalists will move on to the second phase and receive $7,500 for design development, which includes a 3D physical model, renderings, technical specifications, cost estimate, branding and material samples. The teams will also receive a $2,500 travel stipend to present their concept to the jury in San Antonio and participate in an open house for the community to view the designs. The top three teams will each receive a cash prize. More competition details and requirement are available here.
Upon selection of the winning design, the City will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for manufacturing of the barges, purchase the fleet and lease to an operator. The City will issue a second RFP for operation and programming of the barge fleet.
“This innovative approach will relieve the financial burden of a potential operator having to secure the upfront capital to purchase the barge fleet,” said Mayor Ivy R. Taylor. “Not only will we be able to offer an outstanding transportation option, we will encourage more competition through the RFP process.”
The competition winner will be selected in February 2016 and both RFPs for manufacturing and operation of the fleet will be issued in March 2016. Registration for the competition will be available beginning Oct. 30 on the AIA San Antonio website.
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Jun 6, 2024
Studio Gang designs agricultural education center for the New York City Housing Authority
Earlier this month, the City of New York broke ground on the new $18.2 million Marlboro Agricultural Education Center (MAEC) at the New York City Housing Authority’s Marlboro Houses in Brooklyn. In line with the mission of its nonprofit operator, The Campaign Against Hunger, MAEC aims to strengthen food autonomy and security in underserved neighborhoods. MAEC will provide Marlboro Houses with diverse, community-oriented programs.
Office Buildings | Jun 6, 2024
HOK presents neurodiversity research and design guidelines at SXSW 2024
Workplace experts share insights on designing inclusive spaces that cater to diverse sensory processing needs.
Apartments | Jun 4, 2024
Apartment sizes on the rise after decade-long shrinking trend
The average size of new apartments in the U.S. saw substantial growth in 2023, bouncing back to 916 sf after a steep decline the previous year. That is according to a recent RentCafe market insight report released this month.
Architects | Jun 4, 2024
HED and Larson Incitti Architects merge, combine Denver staff
HED, a leading national architecture and engineering firm, today announced a merger with award-winning, Denver-based Larson Incitti Architects (LIA). The merger combines LIA's staff with HED's Denver office, significantly expanding the local team and leveraging community relationships to create new opportunities across multiple market sectors.
Airports | Jun 3, 2024
SOM unveils ‘branching’ structural design for new Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare Airport
The Chicago Department of Aviation has revealed the design for Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s business airports. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup, the concourse will be the first new building in the Terminal Area Program, the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s almost seven-decade history.
Office Buildings | Jun 3, 2024
Insights for working well in a hybrid world
GBBN Principal and Interior Designer Beth Latto, NCIDQ, LEED AP, ID+C, WELL AP, share a few takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a recent Post Occupancy Evaluation of the firm's Cincinnati, Ohio, office.
Construction Costs | Jun 3, 2024
Escalation: Predicting project costs in a volatile market
Thad Berkes, Chief Cost Estimator, Design Collaborative, shares that one of the major hurdles that Design Collaborative attempts to forecast for its commercial construction projects is escalation.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 3, 2024
Grassroots groups becoming a force in housing advocacy
A growing movement of grassroots organizing to support new housing construction is having an impact in city halls across the country. Fed up with high housing costs and the commonly hostile reception to new housing proposals, advocacy groups have sprung up in many communities to attend public meetings to speak in support of developments.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 3, 2024
New York’s office to residential conversion program draws interest from 64 owners
New York City’s Office Conversion Accelerator Program has been contacted by the owners of 64 commercial buildings interested in converting their properties to residential use.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 3, 2024
Seattle mayor wants to scale back energy code to spur more housing construction
Seattle’s mayor recently proposed that the city scale back a scheduled revamping of its building energy code to help boost housing production. The proposal would halt an update to the city’s multifamily and commercial building energy code that is scheduled to take effect later this year.
