Power Art - Design Competition

Dallas CityDesign Studio and Oncor will partner on design competition;
Effort re-imagines Oncor’s substation at end of Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

Dallas - The City of Dallas and Oncor are launching a design competition to re-imagine the external appearance of the Oncor substation at the western foot of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

The competition, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Mayors’ Institute on Community Design 25th Initiative (MICD 25), seeks to engage students and professionals in architecture, design, arts and other creative disciplines to re-imagine the visual appearance of public infrastructure. Stipends ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 will be awarded to the top three to five individuals/teams.

Registration for the design competition begins Wednesday, June 1. For details visit: http://www.dallascityhall.com/citydesign_studio/design-competition.html . Deadline for entries is July 8.

The objective is to examine creative, economical design solutions that enhance the arrival experience into West Dallas while not compromising the sensitive engineering, safety and functional requirements of the substation. Public infrastructure such as water and electricity facilities provide critical services. While the thought of having a substation in a community, close to our homes and businesses, may not appeal to most citizens, this infrastructure plays a very critical role in our everyday life.

The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, a signature bridge design by Santiago Calatrava, scheduled to open in early 2012, in addition to the re-opening of the Continental Bridge as pedestrian only bridge a year later will bring a heightened awareness to the area with a dramatic increase in the number of motorists crossing the bridge daily. With the increased attention to the area, the Dallas CityDesign Studio worked with community stakeholders to create a shared vision for the area, the Urban Structure and Guidelines. In the spirit of continued public participation in visioning for this area, a stakeholder meeting will also be held to review the design ideas to select the top individuals/teams.

The CityDesign Studio is an office of the City of Dallas created in October 2009 from a grant from the Trinity Trust Foundation through a generous donation from Deedie and Rusty Rose. The CityDesign Studio works to connect all of Dallas through thoughtful design by engaging communities in city planning, urban design and the arts. The Studio’s first initiative was the development of the Urban Structure & Guidelines for a 475 acre area in West Dallas. Adopted by the Dallas City Council in March 2011, the Studio convened over 40 community meetings to craft the Urban Structure representing a collaborative vision for future redevelopment for the area. On July 15, 2010, the Dallas CityDesign Studio was awarded one of 21 grants through NEA MICD25 for its Connecting the City project.

Oncor
Oncor operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, delivering power to more than 3 million homes and businesses and operating approximately 117,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines in Texas. While Oncor is owned by a limited number of investors (including majority owner, Energy Future Holdings Corp.), Oncor is managed by its Board of Directors, which is comprised of a majority of independent directors.

NEA Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25)
The City of Dallas-CityDesign Studio was awarded The National Endowment for the Arts Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative (MICD 25) awarded to the City of Dallas, CityDesign Studio. The MICD25supports creative place making projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform sites into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. A total of 21 grants were awarded under the initiative.