Background
In 1911, Capitol Mall was developed as a main gateway into Sacramento from the west. For many years, it was one of Sacramento’s most travelledand bustling corridors. By the 1960’s Capitol Mall was replaced as the main access point to the city with the introduction of freeways. Since that time, Capitol Mall has been transformed by a concentration of high-rise office towers into a center of commerce – the region’s premier corporate address. While thousands work on Capitol Mall, the street and ground floors are mostly absent of activity due to poor access to common areas, absence of common infrastructure and an undeveloped “sense of place”.
For over a century Capitol Mall has provided a grand procession towards the steps of the California State Capitol but has been woefully underutilized as a civic amenity. Now, decades later, this swath of land is primed for a true exploration and rebirth to become a grand civic space.
In 2007 the land located on Capitol Avenue between 3rd and 8th streets in Sacramento was granted from the State of California to the City of Sacramento. For years City officials, business owners, and residents have imagined a lively and interactive public space that has the potential to be seen as the center for all civic amenities in the Capitol Region. Seen as a great expanse of uninterrupted public space within the core of Downtown Sacramento, the Capitol Mall provides unmatched views of the Tower Bridge and California State Capitol.
Over the past few years, stakeholders have met to discuss constraints and possibilities to activate this great civic space. The outcome of these efforts is a partnership between the AIA Central Valley Chapter and the City of Sacramento to lead the charge for this international competition. It is through this international competition that this underutilized civic space can gain the attention it deserves and ultimately transform into a regional, national and international treasure through the greatest of design possibilities.
Last summer, property owners and stakeholders on Capitol Mall formed the Capitol Mall District to promote events that would introduce the idea of the Capitol Mall as a shared community-gathering place. The events that resulted – a weekly Farmer’s Market, a Concours d’Elegance, and various concerts – introduced thousands to Capitol Mall and demonstrated the potential of the underutilized space.
Site
The competition area is defined in the boundary map that can be found in the “downloads” section of the website. Generally the primary area of consideration consists of the R.O.W along Capitol Mall from the east terminus of the Tower Bridge to (and including) the 9th Street intersection. The secondary area of consideration includes the R.O.W. of each side street for a portion of one block in both the north and south directions. The secondary area also includes the R.O.W. portion of 3rd Street leading to the Crocker Art Museum to the south.
It is the intent of the competition to focus on the primary area of consideration as a means to catalyze future improvements. However, ideas that incorporate the secondary areas as part of a master plan for the greater Capitol Mall area are considered to be more desirable and thus are an important component of the competition.
Competition Goals
Activation- The primary goal of the competition is to define opportunities to significantly increase activation of Capitol Mall. The competition seeks creative solutions that will serve to enhance activation of the Mall and create a vibrant and compelling destination point that attracts visitors from not just the region and other areas of California but from around the world.
Catalyst Site(s) – It is envisioned that creative development of a specific portion or portions of the Mall may act as a catalyst for generating and maintaining interest in Capitol Mall redevelopment. These components are intended to be iconic in nature and act as a draw for visitors to Sacramento. There is no defined program or location, the submitter is free to suggest whatever use and location might be appropriate to the civic nature of the Mall. Several location opportunities are suggested however and are identified on the site graphic.
Gatherings & Events – The design should reinforce use of the Mall for civic events and gatherings of all kinds. Despite the lack of amenity that currently exists on the Mall it is used for gatherings and events such as concerts, open markets, political rallies, and as a terminal point for marathons and cycling events such as the Amgen Classic. The development of an innovative way to successfully and easily accommodate these varied civic uses is imperative.
Linkages & Walk-ability – Find and develop ways of connecting the various parts of the City by enhancing and defining linkages with an emphasis on the pedestrian experience. We have the State Capitol Building to the east; Tower Bridge and the Sacramento River, Old Sacramento, and West Sacramento to the west; the new Crocker Art Museum expansion to the south; and the City’s Central Business District to the north. Each of these presents an opportunity to connect the Mall to the fabric of the City and effectively compress the space between them. Decreasing vehicular traffic along the Mall allows for a drastic reduction in the street area between 3rd and 9th Streets. What currently acts as a significant barrier to pedestrian traffic moving north and south could be reconfigured to enhance the experience of crossing the Mall.
Urban Canopy – Sacramento contains a world-class urban canopy, it is one of the most forested cities in the world. The community and leadership of Sacramento continually strive to increase and enhance the urban canopy of the City. Trees are vitally important in improving air quality, reducing heat-island effects, providing shade for buildings and pedestrians and reducing glare and reflection from building surfaces. Any successful solution must fit within and enhance the context of the City’s urban forest.
View Corridor – Capitol Mall effectively creates a view corridor from the Tower Bridge to the Capitol Building. Successful submissions will respect the view corridor while potentially enhancing it or reinforcing the linear nature of the Mall.
Sustainability – All new construction must be inherently sustainable to contribute to the current and future needs of the community. Minimized water and power use and efficient use of materials and resources are extremely important to the success of the redevelopment of the Mall and fits within the expectations of the community.
Implementation – It is important to the City and its partners that submitted plans have the capacity for implementation. Solutions must be imaginative and innovative but also practical in terms of our ability to get them realized. The development of multi-stage solutions that can benefit from phasing may allow for an earlier start and will act as a means of fully achieving the design.
Submittal Components
The Big Idea – Great ideas generate great interest. The ideas that spring from successful proposals are intended to act as a catalyst to assure that the design moves forward quickly and with broad support. A fully developed vision is a requirement of all competition submissions.
Overall Master Plan – An overall master plan is a primary component of the submittal and is intended to act as the unifying, underlying element upon which implementation can take place. A successful master plan will allow for phasing of specific components while still functioning as a complete solution.
Catalyst Component– An iconic component that will, in and of itself, act as a regional, national, and international draw to visitors and act as a catalyst for complete implementation. This component may utilize any program that is civic in nature. It shall also be clearly defined for possible early construction without reliance on other portions of the submission to make it functional. Ideas that incorporate public art, memorials, destination landscape features and/or interactive amenities are seen as the primary means for activation.
Event Plaza – A required amenity to accommodate performance or address focused events such as a plaza, amphitheater or other easily configured open space. This space needs to be flexible so that it contributes to the civic nature of the Mall at all times but can also be used for concerts, speeches, etc. This component must also be clearly defined for early construction and may be combined with the Catalyst Component above.
Participation
Professionals and designers from all fields are eligible to submit. Multi-disciplinary teams are especially encouraged to participate so that ideas can be combined into single, comprehensive submissions.
There are two distinct ways to enter the competition:
Professional Entry
Entry fees are a requirement for this level of entry but winners in this category are eligible to receive cash prizes and full recognition from the primary jury of the competition. Entries in this category are also eligible for consideration for implementation.
Student Entry
Enrolled students may enter in this category for no fee but will be judged separately and winners will receive only recognition, no cash prizes or consideration for implementation. A committee of local AIA members, educators and City staff will act as jury for this category. Note that students are not precluded from entering the Professional category but will be subject to the fee requirement to do so.
Judging Criteria
A panel consisting of (3) internationally known design professionals, a designated City representative, a designated State representative and a designated Capitol Mall District representative will judge the competition.
All eligible entries will be evaluated and winners will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Creativity and innovation as it relates to the Big Idea
- Perceived success in activating the Capitol Mall through the attraction and engagement of visitors
- Demonstration of a clear understanding of the context and provision of an appropriate response to that context
- Perceived success in providing a civic amenity that is capable of accommodating large groups of gatherers, special events, concerts, etc.
- Clear understanding of how the design will affect the pedestrian and vehicular traffic through and around the Mall
- Quality of intended improvement and definition of linkages between the Mall and the identified adjacent features
- Success in appropriately addressing the concepts of the Urban Canopy, View Corridor and Sustainability
- Clear and understandable method of implementation including phasing and ability to construct