Context & Brief

Context

The utility and necessity of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts has been an issue of polarized debate since they were reconstructed in their present form in the late 1960s. As the first piece of a larger freeway system that was planned but never realized, they stand as a symbol of an era of city-building that thankfully never more-fully materialized.

With forty years lapsed since the ribbon cutting, the utility and merit of these structures continue to be debated topics in our city.  Through this discussion one thing has become increasingly clear as Vancouver’s central peninsula continues to build out: whether they stay or go, a far better future for the structures or the lands beneath them can be imagined.

The future of the viaducts should be contemplated in the context of the broader Eastern Core of our city, which includes the strategically important industrial lands of the False Creek Flats. How we connect the downtown and Eastern Core is crucial to how our city functions and its economic future. While arriving at a plan for the future of the viaducts, we need to understand and develop a broader strategy for moving forward in this area of our city. These two scales provide the context for the focus of this ideas competition.

Brief

re:CONNECT challenges the public and design community to give shape to the future of these two specific areas and scales of the city, while also providing a platform for less confined thinking through a ‘wildcard’ category. Here are the three categories in more detail:

1. Connecting the Core (“THE BIG SCALE”) – this component of the competition seeks high-level ideas for the future of Vancouver’s Eastern Core (including the False Creek Flats). Design solutions should seek creative, “big picture” opportunities that envision a sustainable and innovative future for this area as a major component of our City’s green economy. For more details: Connecting the Core

2. Visualizing the Viaducts – this component of the competition seeks conceptual design ideas for the land currently occupied by the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts or for the structures. All ideas are encouraged, from full-retention with repurposing of the structures and/or land beneath to complete removal and replacement of the viaducts with something entirely different. For more details: Visualizing the Viaducts

3. The Wildcard – the Wildcard category will consider ideas that push the envelope of creativity in a specific and detailed way. Applicants are encouraged to focus on one element or idea which could revolutionize the way people think about this area of the city. This may be a unique, unexplored use of these lands, or a new spin on the vision or details of the area. For more details: Wildcard

All submissions must be designated for a single award category. Entrants are allowed one unique submission into each of the three categories with each registration fee.

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