International Competition of Landscape and Functional Design for Substations in Guangzhou

I. Background

Guangzhou is a millennial commercial capital with 130-year history of electricity use. The city is widely known for its practical, pioneering, open and inclusive mindset, while it is the common wish of all citizens to promote the green and coordinated urban development and facilitate the harmony and coexistence between human and nature.

Power grid serves as the large artery in the city’s power supply network to inject strong development impetus into the city. The power supply infrastructures, as the city’s energy arteries, have expanded continuously along with the urban development, winding through historical alleyways and connecting trendy commercial circles. Substations, as hearts of the power grid, are expected to not only facilitate electrical distribution, but also reflect the environment-friendly concepts of urban architecture.

In this context, Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau jointly launch the International Competition of Landscape and Functional Design for Substations in Guangzhou (the Competition). By establishing a world-class design competition platform, the Competition intends to solicit excellent landscape and functional design proposals from renowned design institutes, design masters, as well as individuals both at home and abroad, so as to create urban landmarks through design of artistic level and better integrate the landscape and functional design of the substations with the urban development of Guangzhou. We look forward to witnessing the perfect integration of mechanics and aesthetics in the Competition, so we could make meticulous efforts to promote the urban construction, enhance the city’s function as the core engine for the GBA development, and boost the city’s initiatives in revitalizing the historical districts and making new progresses in four aspects (urban functions, soft power, modern services and business environment).

II. Organization

The Competition is co-hosted by Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau.

The Committee of International Competition of Landscape and Functional Design for Substations in Guangzhou (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition Committee”) is set up as the decision-making body of the Competition. It organizes, coordinates, and renders guidance, supervision and inspection for the Competition, handles disputes relating to the Competition, and make decisions for key matters of the Competition.

III. Participant Categories

With three participant categories, namely “Design Masters”, “Professional” and “General Public”, the Competition intends to solicit landscape and functional design proposals for selected substations from global participants.

The Design Masters Category invites teams of academicians, fellows, or international architectural design masters who have won the Pritzker Architecture Prize to design one designated substation, and each substation will be provided with two design proposals for evaluation. By now, six design masters have been invited to the Competition, namely CAE academicians He Jingtang, Wang Jianguo, Cui Kai, and Meng Jianmin; Arata Isozaki, winner of the Pulitzer Prize + Hu Qian, and Philip Cox, RIBA International Fellow, AIA Honorary Fellow and RAIA Life Fellow.

The Professional Category is open to the registration of Chinese and international design organizations. Eligible design organizations shall, by the registration deadline, submit registration materials and conceptual proposals for two enlisted substations (See Appendix 1). Hosts of the Competition will, in view of their comprehensive strength, proposed project team, concept proposals and etc., select design organizations to participate in the Competition. The shortlisted participants are required to design the substations designated by the Hosts, including the existing or new ones in CBD, the waterfronts or academic areas of the city.

The General Public Category is open to the registration of organizations or individuals from home and abroad, including design institutes, universities and etc. No limitation is set on number of participants in this category. Participants need to select substation(s) out of the ten designated by the Hosts (See Appendix 2) for design.

IV. Work Contents and Detailing Level

(I) Design Masters Category

For each substation, individuals or organizations under the Design Masters Category are required to conduct designs including location and environment analysis, design concept and planning (including the naming of substation), overall functional design, master planning, architectural design (including façade and functional layout while excluding electrical design), outdoor space and garden, construction/operation/maintenance cost narratives, representation of design effect, etc. In particular, a standardized design approach is encouraged for the façade design, so that practical and cost-effective design components and combination methods could be worked out to create “standardized design products” that are easy for duplication.

The design deliverables should be detailed to the architectural and landscape SD level, and should include design narratives, drawings, display boards, multimedia presentation file within 2 minutes, and 1:200-1:500 physical model. The specific requirements are subject to the design brief of the Competition.

(II) Professional Category

Design institutes registered under the Professional Category need to select two substations from the given list (see Appendix 1) to prepare conceptual proposal according to relevant design requirements. The design contents include but are not limited to the design concept analysis (including the naming of substation), the overall spatial intent, and other contents that can show the highlights and features of the design proposal. Design documents for each substation is no more than 5 pages. The Competition Committee will select 15 design institutes as competition participants under this category based on comprehensive review on the submitted conceptual proposals.

Each participant under the Professional Category conducts design for two to four substations in a group of substations  designated by the Hosts, and submits one proposal for each substation. A total of three participants will provide designs for each group of substations.

The design contents of each substation include location and environment analysis, design concept and planning (including the naming of substation), overall functional design, master planning, architectural design (including façade and functional layout while excluding electrical design), outdoor space and garden, construction/operation/maintenance cost narratives, representation of design effect, etc. In particular, a standardized design approach is encouraged for the façade design, so that practical and cost-effective design components and combination methods could be worked out to create “standardized design products” that are easy for duplication.

The submitted proposal should be detailed to the architectural and landscape SD level, and the deliverables should include design narratives, drawings, display boards, multimedia presentation file within 2 minutes for each substation, and 1:200-1:500 physical model, with specific design requirements subject to the technical documents of the Competition.

(III) General Public Category

Each participant selects project(s) out of the ten substations (see Appendix 2) designated by the Host and conduct conceptual design accordingly. The design mainly presents the creative ideas, while deliverables include design narratives, drawings and display boards.

V. Rewards

(I) Design Masters Category

Individuals or organizations under the Design Masters Category whose deliverables are submitted as required by the Design Brief, meet the design requirements of the Competition as reviewed and are implementable will receive design fee for the design of each substation in view of the type of the substation. Each built substation will have the designer’s name (individuals or organization) appear on its name plate.

(II) Professional Category

1. Cost compensation: The competition participants from the Professional Category whose deliverables are submitted as required by the technical documents and meet the requirement of the Competition as reviewed will receive the cost compensation for the design of each substation in view of the type of the substation, and those whose deliverables fail the technical review or are invalid will not receive the cost compensation. Details are set out in table below.

2. Bonus

For each substation, one winning proposal will be selected and be additionally awarded with the bonus in view of the type of the substation. Details are set out in table below.

(III) General Public Category

A total of 60 prizes are set up for the Competition. For each substation, 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes and 2 Third Prizes are provided, each with a bonus of RMB 20,000 yuan, 10,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan respectively. Besides, 10 Best Popularity Awards are set up, each with a bonus of 5,000 yuan.

VI. Schedule

The Competition will last from January 2021 to June 2021.

(I) Professional Category

January 21, 2021: Release of Pre-announcement

February 7, 2021: Release of official announcement

March 7, 2021: Deadline for registration and start of participant shortlisting

March 12, 2021: Release of technical documents to shortlisted participants, Q&A and site visit

May 20, 2021: Submission of design proposals

Late May, 2021: Technical review & proposal evaluation meeting

June, 2021: Announcement of competition result

(II) General Public Category

January 21, 2021: Release of Pre-announcement

February 7, 2021: Release of official announcement

March 12, 2021: Release of technical documents

April 30, 2021: Deadline for registration and submission of design proposals

Early May, 2021: Online voting

Late May, 2021: Proposal evaluation meeting

June, 2021: Announcement of competition result

Note: All time and dates are subject to Beijing Time. The Hosts or Organizer reserves the right to change the above schedule.

VII. Means of Competition

(I) Professional Category

1. Registration Requirements

(1) No professional qualification threshold is set for the registration of the Competition.

(2) Design institutes from the Chinese Mainland must be independent legal entities, and those from the outside of the Chinese Mainland must be design offices legally registered in the corresponding country/region.

(3) For different institutes with one same legal representative (including its wholly-owned subsidiaries and its holding company), only one is allowed to register for the Competition.

(4) Registration in name of consortium is acceptable, while each consortium should have no more than two members.

2. Means of Registration

Interested parties shall send the completed registration form duly signed and affixed with the corporate seal (see Appendix 3), commercial documents (see Appendix 5) and conceptual design proposals (see Appendix 1) to the email address designated for Professional Category by the deadline, and mail the hardcopies of such documents (signed and stamped with the corporate seal) to the Hosts by the deadline.

3. Deadline for Registration

Registration will be closed at 17:00pm, March 7, 2021 (Beijing Time). Late submission will be rejected.

(II) General Public Category

1. Registration Requirements

Registration in name of design institute, individual or team is acceptable, with a maximum of five persons for the professional credit of each design proposal.

2. Means of Registration

Interested parties shall send the duly completed and signed application form (see Appendix 4) to the email address for General Public Category by the deadline.

3. Deadline for Registration

Registration will be closed at 17:00pm, April 30, 2021 (Beijing Time). Late submission will be rejected.

VIII. Other Matters

All documents and correspondence relating to this Competition are written in Chinese or English.

The laws of the People’s Republic of China are applicable to the Competition and the relevant documentation.

The Hosts and Organizer shall own the intellectual property rights of the design deliverables related to the Competition (excluding “standardized design products”), and all participants enjoy the professional credit of such design deliverables, as well as the intellectual property rights of “standardized design products” (typical design). Where the “standardized design products” will be applied to other substations, the details of IP rights and service means are subject to separate design contract to be entered by and between the Hosts and the participants.

The Competition solicits conceptual design and involves no statutory planning or land requisition. The subsequent project implementation is subject to legal procedures and approvals.

Any inconsistency between this official announcement and the design brief or technical documents is subject to the latter two.

IX. Contacts

Email for Professional Category: GZICDS@163.com

Email for General Public Category: GZICDSPUB@163.com

Address: F6, Annexe of Guangdong Machinery Building, 185 Yuehua Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Contact person: Mr. Luo, Mr. Deng

Tel: 020-83647079, 020-22099922

Appendices

1: Requirements on Conceptual Design Proposals of Professional Category

2: List of Substation Projects for General Public Category

3: Registration Form for Professional Category

4: Registration Form for General Public Category

5: Requirements on Commercial Documents of Professional Category

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