Collection of Playful Furniture for Esplanade Tranquille (Esplanade Clark)

Creation of esplanade Clark (now called Esplanade Tranquille) constitutes the last phase of the Quartier des spectacles major project, the Place des Arts hub. Esplanade Tranquille, situated west of rue Clark, between Sainte-Catherine and De Montigny, will have a vocation complementary to those of the other public places in Quartier des spectacles; it is to be a more intimate space. This new public space will include an exterior refrigerated skating rink, which in the summer will become a grand urban terrace. The plaza will become a special place to host citizen and cultural activities as well as performances including, primarily, those of the major festivals and events of the summer period.

Inspired by the spirit of the backyard where people enjoy hanging out together and chatting, the space is to be intimate, friendly and human-scaled. It will truly be a space for life, encouraging strong citizen appropriation. It will welcome residents, workers, district regulars, tourists and will offer a particular opportunity for families and children.

The public space will include conventional furniture, for daily use of the plaza, in particular chairs and tables. That urban furniture is not included in this competition. As an adjunct to that furniture, through this competition the Ville de Montréal seeks to equip the space with playful, movable furniture adapted to a variety of types of users, including families. It is hoped that this furniture collection will help make the space lively, convivial and warm, and extend the length of time users stay in the space, during all seasons of the year. The playful furniture collection will act as a support for imagination; its configuration will evolve through the seasons and with respect to needs. This furniture will provide opportunities for playing, interaction, encounters, movement, strolling, rest, refreshment and similar experiences. This playful furniture is designed to provide experiences for the inner child, no matter the age.
The furniture elements to be designed and developed in the Project include but are not limited to the following:

• The carousel reinvented (amazement, contemplation, play);
• The reinvented fountain or fountains (become refreshed, playful);
• A series of complementary, playful furniture elements, acting as connection between the two above-mentioned major elements of the collection (for sitting, resting, creating, strolling, expressing and amusing oneself, etc.).

All furniture elements must be easy to move and transport in order to allow rearrangement of the spaces as a function of the seasons and festival events.

The proposed budget for the manufacture and installation of all furniture elements of the collection is six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) before taxes.

This competition is:

• A multidisciplinary design competition;
• Pan-Canadian in scope (the Coordinator must be present in Montréal during completion of the Project);
• Held in two major stages: the first based on anonymous proposals and a second in which a maximum of four (4) finalists, selected by the jury during the first stage, will submit a service offering;
• A project competition that will lead to manufacture of the furniture.

• All Competitors are invited to submit their anonymous proposal, to include a preliminary design concept translating the vision and mission of the Project in response to the competition objectives;
• The jury will select a maximum of four anonymous proposals. This stage is not remunerated.

Finalists will be invited to refine their concept and present their service offering to the jury. At the end of this stage, which is remunerated, the jury will recommend a competition winner. Finalists must participate in a mandatory individual information meeting with the city.

Stage 1 / Proposal
Any team or firm that respects the following conditions is eligible for stage 1 of the competition:

It must be composed, at a minimum, of the following people:

• One (1) Industrial Designer with five (5) or more years of experience;
• One (1) other Designer with five (5) or more years of experience;
• Have a business address in Canada at the time of the competition.

The Ville de Montréal encourages the formation of multidisciplinary teams.

Stage 2 / Service offering
Any team or firm that is composed of at least the following people is eligible for stage 2 of the competition

• A Coordinator Designer with eight (8) years or more of experience;
• An Industrial Designer with eight (8) years or more of experience;
• A Structural Engineer (or an engineer in another discipline, depending on the nature of the project) authorized to practise in Québec and who has eight (8) years or more of experience.

The jury is the same for both stages. It includes the following:

• Marc Fauteux, landscape architect partner, Fauteux et associés
• Jean-François Jacques, industrial designer, co-founder, Meteore Design
• Renée Lebel, cultural development agent, Arrondissement de Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Ville de Montréal
• Anne Marchand, industrial designer; associate vice-rector, research, discovery, creation and innovation; full professor, École de Design, Faculté de l’aménagement, Université de Montréal
• Anne Plamondon, interim director of programming, Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
• Judith Portier, environmental designer, creative director and founder, Design par Judith Portier
• Stéphane Ricci, urban planner, assistant to the director, coordinator of the Quartier des spectacles, Service de la culture, Ville de Montréal

Competitors (Stage 1)
No fees or compensation will be provided for this stage of the competition.

Finalists (stage 2)
Each finalist who has presented a service offering declared to be in compliance with regulations will receive the amount of $25,000 plus taxes.

Winner
The maximum budget for the competition winner’s professional service fees is $225,000, plus taxes (including fees awarded after stage 2).

Interested applicants must obtain the competition documents via the SÉAO electronic call for tenders system, having been registered in advance. Documents are available from August 14 to October 11, 2019, noon, Montréal time.

The full file for any proposal and any service offering of an applicant or finalist must be received according to the dates below and at the following address:

Stage 1 / Anonymous proposals
October 11, 2019, before noon, Montréal time (amended deadline following the addendum of 2019/09/24)

Stage 2 / Finalists' service offerings
December 11, 2019, before noon, Montréal time

Submission address:
Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
Concours de design pluridisciplinaire – Gamme de mobilier ludique pour l’esplanade Clark
1435, rue Saint-Alexandre, bureau 500
Montréal, Québec
Canada, H3A 2G4

All communications must be sent to the professional adviser by email to the following address: [email protected]