Top NYC Design Firms Invited to Submit Proposals for Temporary Installation to be Unveiled During Holiday Season in Front of Famed Flatiron Building

NEW YORK, July 17, 2014 – The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and Van Alen Institute today announced the first-ever Flatiron Plaza Holiday Design Competition, in which top designers and architects will propose dynamic structures to be installed in front of the famed Flatiron Building for the 2014 winter holiday season.

The winning design will be unveiled in November—in the North Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street—and will remain on view through the holidays as part of the Partnership’s annual “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” programming.

“This competition will help transform one of the New York City’s most photographed and iconic sites, and we fully expect the winning design to reflect the diversity, ingenuity and creativity that are at the heart of the Flatiron District,” said Flatiron Partnership Executive Director Jennifer Brown. “We are especially proud to work with Van Alen Institute, a partner based in our district, which has such a stellar reputation of advancing innovation in design and architecture.”

“Over the past 120 years, Van Alen has organized hundreds of design competitions that have shaped New York City and beyond, including Governors Island and the TKTS booth in Times Square. We’re excited to bring that experience to enlivening our own backyard,” said David van der Leer, Executive Director of Van Alen Institute. “We’re also thrilled to become a part of the Partnership’s commitment to make the neighborhood a hub for art and design, and a place to find the unexpected.”

Last year, Van Alen Institute partnered with the Times Square Alliance to run the Alliance’s annual competition inviting design firms to submit proposals for a romantic public art installation celebrating Valentine’s Day in Times Square.

The Holiday Design Competition will build on the Flatiron Partnership’s established “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer,” 23 consecutive days of free, holiday-themed events showcasing the shopping, dining and culture in the neighborhood. In previous years at this highly trafficked intersection, the Flatiron Partnership has displayed a larger-than-life pop-up holiday card viewed by the tens of thousands of people who pass through the district each day. A video of the card can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/KAqw7VosRNw.

Seven artists and architecture firms have been invited to submit proposals for this year’s installation, including: EFGH Architectural Design Studio, e+i studio, INABA, Chris Jordan / Moey, RSVP Architecture Studio, SCAPE / Landscape Architecture, and Stereotank. Proposals will be reviewed by a jury with expertise across the worlds of design and public art, including representatives from the Partnership and Van Alen Institute’s Board of Trustees. The winner will be announced in early September.

Jury members include: Nicholas Athanail, The Corcoran Group, Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership board member and local resident; Michael Bierut, Partner, Pentagram; Brad Cloepfil, Founding Principal, Allied Works Architecture; Emily Colasacco, New York City Department of Transportation Urban Design & Art; Sharon Davis, Sharon Davis Design, Van Alen Institute board member; Jane Kojima, Deputy Director, Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership; Aleksey Lukyanov, Partner, Situ Studio; David van der Leer, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute; and Christopher Young, Creative Director for Creative Visual Merchandising, Tiffany & Co.

About the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District, formed in 2006, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the area’s reputation as one of New York’s most vital and exciting neighborhoods. This is accomplished by maintaining a clean and safe environment for the district’s businesses, residents and visitors; by spearheading area improvement projects; and by marketing the diverse business and retail options in this vibrant and historic neighborhood.

Learn more at www.discoverflatiron.org Email: info@flatironbid.org Facebook: discoverflatiron.org/facebook Twitter & Instagram: @FlatironNY

About Van Alen Institute

At Van Alen Institute, we believe design can transform cities, landscapes, and regions to improve people’s lives. We collaborate with communities, scholars, policymakers, and professionals on local and global initiatives that rigorously investigate the most pressing social, cultural, and ecological challenges of tomorrow. Building on more than a century of experience, we develop cross-disciplinary research, provocative public programs, and inventive design competitions.

Our widely influential legacy of competitions includes Public Property: An Ideas Competition for Governors Island (1996), which kicked off an international conversation about Governors Island and its redevelopment as a public resource; and TKTS2K: A Competition to Design a New York Icon (1999), which led to the construction of the iconic TKTS booth in Times Square, reactivating public space at the busiest pedestrian intersection in New York City.

Learn more at past.vanalen.org Email: vai@vanalen.org Facebook: facebook.com/vanaleninstitute Twitter & Instagram: @van_alen

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