 City of Denver: Crime Lab Denver Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program–Crime Lab 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1007 Denver, CO 80202 BACK TO PARTICIPATING CALLS CONTACT EVENT |
|
|
REQUIREMENTS: Images: 8 View Site Details Crime Lab Overview: The new Denver Crime Lab is centered in a, busy, urban area in the Golden Triangle / Civic Center neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. It is bordered to the west by the new Justice Center Campus, which includes a new Detention Center, Courthouse and Parking facility. The new Crime Lab currently shares the block/plaza with two other buildings: the Police Administration Building (PAB) and the Pre-Arraignment Detention Facility (PADF). The PADF will soon be vacated upon completion of the Justice Center Campus. Across the street from the Crime Lab are the Denver Mint, the City and County Building and other Civic buildings. The adjacent Golden Triangle neighborhood is home to many galleries, restaurants and cultural facilities, including the main branch of the Denver Public Library, the Denver Art Museum (and Daniel Liebeskind’s new Hamilton Wing) and the new Clyfford Still Museum, to be completed in 2011. The new Crime Lab will be an important new building for the neighborhood and for the City and County of Denver. A statement from the Architects and the Crime Lab Director accompany this RFQ to impart more information for interested artists. Design Statement Mark Kranz, AIA, Design Principal, SmithGroup The new Denver Police Crime Lab has been conceived as a physical manifestation of the prominence, caliber and mission of the civic institution it will house. The lab has long been recognized as a national leader in the forensic community in spite of sub-standard and aging facilities in downtown Denver. The design team has been charged with creating a timeless, striking contemporary icon for the City and County of Denver, while also designing a state-of-the-art laboratory facility that will act as a recruitment tool for the world’s best forensic scientists. This highly visible urban building will complement and add to a growing number of significant works of architecture in downtown Denver. A World-Class Building That is Distinctly Denver Sited in Denver’s Golden Triangle, and adjacent to the City’s Civic Mall and numerous historic public buildings, the new Crime Lab coalesces a collective architectural language of downtown Denver while creating a distinctive and elegant new structure for the City and County. An identifiable pre-cast concrete base, predominant in Denver architecture, creates a rhythmic dialogue at the street, speaking to the scale of the three-story structure. Warm tones of a sustainable ventilated wall panel system complement the many historic stone clad buildings in the vicinity, as well as the newly constructed Justice Center across the street. Glass and metal elements speak to the newer contemporary civic structures like the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Convention Center. The assemblage of this material palette creates a timeless and appropriate design that respects the past and present while looking towards the future. A Celebration of Science While the design of the new building is intended to elegantly blend and respect its surrounding context, it also works to celebrate its specific internal scientific functions. A number of scientific notions (biology, chemistry, ballistics, etc.) and elements are subtly and abstractly woven into the building’s form and texture both inside and out. The building’s north façade is an artful interpretation of the ‘double helix,’ a series of undulating and perceptually interwoven glass planes that address its most public edge. ‘The DNA double helix,’ representing a major tool utilized in forensic science, is formally and abstractly layered into the building’s concrete base and fenestration. Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory Overview Greggory S. LaBerge, Crime Lab Director The Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory started in 1947, when Captain Joe Moomaw used his own funds to purchase a comparison microscope for the examination of bullets and shell casings often found in gun-related crimes. The work was done in a single room at the old Denver Police Headquarters Building. During the 1950’s the crime laboratory became the Denver Police Department Bureau of Identification where laboratory field units (early CSI investigators) were deployed for the examination and processing of crime scenes. The crime laboratory of the 1950’s documented and recorded crime scenes with black and white photography and the leading-edge technology of the time was used to measure blood alcohol (breathalyzer). To prove the technology worked, officers drank alcohol in court in front of the judge. It was an early look at how science was becoming useful in criminal investigations and how science could be challenged in the courts. As science became more important in criminal investigations, police recruit classes were instructed in fingerprinting, firearms, crime scene preservation and blood alcohol determinations. As forensic science became more important the laboratory expanded and was split into two sections: Criminalistics (fingerprinting, firearms, and photography) and Forensic Science (forensic chemistry and forensic serology). The Criminalistics section remained at Denver Police Department Headquarters, and the new Forensic Sciences Section was established in the basement at Denver General Hospital. Both were one-room operations, but the doubling of laboratory space reflecting the role that scientific investigations were now playing in the Denver Police Department. In 1978, both the Criminalistics and Forensic Science sections were moved to the 6th floor of the new Police Administration Building (PAB). The 6th floor provided approximately 14,000 sq ft of operational space and has served as the home to the Denver Police Crime Laboratory Bureau to the present time. In 1985, the Metropolitan State College Chemistry Department and the Forensic Science Section of the Denver Police Crime Laboratory Bureau entered into a partnership that continues today. A Forensic Science Internship Program gives promising college students an opportunity to spend two semesters in a “hands-on” forensic science environment. In turn, the crime laboratory was able to observe the capabilities of future forensic science candidates. To date, over 115 college interns have been involved with this program. The Denver Police Crime Laboratory has hired seven of these interns, and has placed countless others with other forensic institutions across the country. In recent years the DNA laboratory expanded rapidly, resulting in connection to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and several federal grants for DNA improvement. The Crime Laboratory expanded DNA into cold cases and recently, Denver led the United States with over 4200 cold cases reviewed and 1200 cases referred to the laboratory for analysis. In the first eighteen months of this project, thirty percent of the cases matched offenders/cases on the CODIS database, leading to the development of a Cold Case Unit within the Crimes Against Persons Bureau. These successes also allowed for expansion into property crimes, with Denver being awarded a large grant from the National Institute of Justice to develop methods for high-throughput DNA on property crimes. Cities are now turning to Denver for leadership in these areas--in three years, over 200 habitual criminals were identified and burglary rates dropped in Denver as much as 48%. The Denver Police Department crime laboratory continues to excel and make a national and international impact in forensic science. The new Denver Police Department Crime Laboratory will expand the lab’s capabilities and make the City of Denver a safer place to live and work daily. (A complete history of the Denver Crime Lab is available for download at www.denvergov.org/publicart.) Overview of Public Art Opportunities for The Denver Crime Lab The panel has made no stipulations as to the media, subject matter or style of artwork that will be considered for this project, but they seek an artist (or artists) who are accustomed to working on projects of this size and scope and an artist who can work with the design team to further hone their proposals to suit the constraints of the site. The new facility will, by itself, create an artful, iconic home for the Denver Police Crime Lab. Elements of public art can be elegantly integrated into the building’s architectural and spatial character, and should complement the design team’s approach of subtlety, and abstraction, to parallel the overall design intent. The artwork and architecture will be viewed inside the building and through glazed areas from the street as well. There is a desire for a night presence. The panel suggests that the artwork be elegant, timeless, tasteful, and function well within the architectural spaces and the Golden Triangle neighborhood overall. Of course, there is an interest in artwork that explores the intersection of art, science, and technology. The main lobby has a series of three-story open volumes that create a spatially connected atrium for collaboration and interaction amongst scientists and investigators. Glazing will connect the interior and exteriors of the building. A number of abstracted programmatic volumes that celebrate internal functions have the potential to be canvases for subtle strategies of light and/or color. The ground plane has the potential to be articulated in an artful way to extend the project’s design language and to celebrate the scientific endeavors of the lab. The panel identified several possible areas for integrating artwork. These areas include, but are not limited to: • three-dimensional and suspended artwork in the atrium and public stair areas of the building; • art glass to be incorporated into the exterior and interior glazed areas, including an integrated glass wall along the second floor of the building in the public space near the auditorium; • exterior work for the floors and ground plane and within the limited landscape areas, as well as possible artwork on the stairs. Selection Process A project Selection Panel of at least seven individuals (community members, project managers and design team members, artists, arts professionals and members of the Public Art Committee and Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs) reviews the site and determines the project parameters. Up to five artists (or artist teams) will be short-listed as semi-finalists and asked to return for an interview or to prepare a proposal. Semi-finalists will receive more specific information regarding the site and will have the opportunity to meet with City officials and selection members. If a proposal is requested, semi-finalists will receive an honorarium of $2000-$2500 to prepare and present the proposal in person. Semi-finalists will be expected to pay for all proposal expenses, including travel and per diem, from the honorarium. From the proposals, the artist(s) will be selected for this commission. The final recommendation of the Selection Panel will be presented to the Public Art Subcommittee, the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs and Mayor John Hickenlooper for final approval. Approvals may take up to four weeks. All decisions of the City and County of Denver are final. Other Requirements The artist or artist team selected and approved by the Project Selection Panel shall be required to enter into a contract with the City and County of Denver for the entire duration of the project. The artist will need to obtain insurance as required by the City. Applying for These Opportunities Please read this section carefully. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered, without exception. All materials must be submitted online, via the CaFÉ™ web site (www.callforentry.org). There is no application fee to apply or to use the CaFÉ™ online application system. The applicant’s name must appear on all materials submitted. Digital Images—In order to be considered for this project, the applicant must electronically submit eight digital images of previously completed artworks through the CaFÉ™ system. Artists who wish to submit kinetic, sound or media works must submit a complete CaFÉ™ application, and a supplemental DVD of no more than five minutes can be sent to: Denver Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program–Crime Lab 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1007 Denver, CO 80202 Instructions on how to format images to CaFÉ™ specifications can be found at http://www.callforentry.org/imaging_tips.phtml. Assistance in using the CaFÉ™ system is available during regular business hours by calling 303-629-1166 or 1-888-562-7232, or e-mail cafe@westaf.org. If an artist does not have access to a computer, s/he may call 720-865-4307 to make arrangements to use a computer at the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. Statement of Interest—A statement of interest that briefly outlines your interest in this unique project and experience working on projects of this kind (500 word/2,000 character maximum) should be submitted via CaFÉ™. Résumé—Submit a one- to two-page current résumé, via CaFÉ™, that highlights your professional accomplishments as an artist. Please name your résumé file accordingly: Last name. First initial (i.e. Smith.J.doc). Résumés over two pages will not be downloaded. If applying as a team, please submit a one- to two-page résumé per team member. Can a team Apply? Applicant(s) may apply as a single artist or multi-person collaboration. Please identify your team members in your artist statement. Budget The budget for this commission is approximately $330,000 which will be allocated to the artist/team selected by the selection panel. This contract amount is inclusive of all costs associated with the project including, but not limited to: the artist’s design fee, other consultation fees such as structural engineering, insurance (including Colorado Workers Compensation), small tools, materials, fabrication, transportation and installation, including any building or site modification required, travel to and from the site, per diem expenses, project documentation, contingency to cover unexpected expenses and any other costs of any kind. Tentative Time Line (Except for online application deadline, timeline is subject to adjustments): March 26, 2010, 5pm MST Deadline for Entry (via CaFÉ™ system) March 18, 11:00 a.m. - Room 6.G.7 Wellington Webb Building Pre-Submission Meeting/Site Visit April 2010 Semi-finalist Selection June 2010 Finalist Selection June 2010 Finalist Notification Pre-Submission Meeting Additional information about the project and application procedures will be provided during a pre-submission meeting on March 18 at 11:00 a.m. in room 6.G.7 in the Wellington Webb Building. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please RSVP by emailing brooke.jones@denvergov.org, or calling 720-865-4302. We will update information about this project and the pre-submission meeting on our web site: www.denvergov.org/publicart. Eligibility Denver’s Public Art program is open to all artists regardless of race, color, creed, gender, gender variance, national origin, age, religion, marital status, political opinion or affiliation or mental or physical handicap. Artists working in any media are eligible to apply. Artists are not required to have previous experience in public art; emerging artists are encouraged to apply. Maintenance and Durability Public art projects are in the public realm and may therefore be exposed to weather, physical stresses and subject to vandalism. Public art projects should be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. Semi-finalists are encouraged to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal. Artists’ proposals awarded contracts will be reviewed by the City of Denver’s Public Art Committee and the Department of Construction and Engineering to ensure conformity with City standards of maintenance and durability. All finalists are expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved time frame. NOTE: Applications in CaFE™ close at Midnight, Mountain Time on the day of the deadline. |
