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
| Aug 14, 2012
SOM Foundation announces prize recipients for 2012
Submissions for the SOM Prize were received from students at 34 schools in the U.S.
| Aug 9, 2012
Slideshow: New renderings of 1 WTC
Upon its scheduled completion in early 2014, One World Trade Center will rise 1,776 feet to the top of its spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
| Aug 9, 2012
Slideshow: New renderings of 1 WTC
Upon its scheduled completion in early 2014, One World Trade Center will rise 1,776 feet to the top of its spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
| Aug 8, 2012
BD+C wins six B2B journalism awards
BD+C wins two national awards, three regional awards, and a regional Graphical Excellence award.
| Aug 8, 2012
BIM’s future up in the cloud
The AEC industry is on the cusp of a still more significant evolution with cloud computing.
| Aug 8, 2012
Giants 300 Sports Facilities Report
BD+C's Giants 300 Top 25 AEC Firms in the Sports Facilities sector.
| Aug 8, 2012
Giants 300 Science & Technology Report
BD+C's Giants 300 Top 25 AEC Firms in the Science & Technology sector.
| Aug 7, 2012
Pioneering revival
Financial setbacks didn’t stop this Building Team from transforming the country’s first women’s medical school into a new home for college students.
| Aug 7, 2012
Shedding light on the arts
Renovating Pietro Belluschi’s Juilliard School opens the once-cloistered institution to its Upper West Side community.
| Aug 7, 2012
How to win more state and local government projects
With a huge building stock at their disposal, state and local governments can be attractive clients, especially in these difficult economic times.
