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| 7 Jul 2022 | |
| General |
As many of you know, in 2009, the Center moved to 1218 Arch Street and became a new physical hub for the AIA Philadelphia Chapter, AIA Bookstore, Community Design Collaborative, and the Center program staff. Over the past 15 years, the Center has evolved and grown. This RFQ is the beginning of a process to help the Center accomplish two main goals: (1) provide vibrant, flexible space for K-12 students and families to explore and learn more about how various design practices and construction industries help shape their lives; and (2) renovate the entire facility to accommodate a new mission-focused business model for the Center.
"Tomorrow, July 7th, marks my eight-year anniversary with the Center for Architecture and Design and AIA Philadelphia," Executive Director Rebecca Johnson shares. "We have been growing and evolving strategically thanks to the tremendous foundation left by my predecessor John Claypool, and the extraordinary leadership of both the AIA and Center Boards. All of these efforts, vision, and hard work have led to this moment. It's EXCITING! There is still lots of work to do, but I'm looking forward to engaging our community in this project and can't wait to see what firms are interested and respond to this RFQ."
The Center currently occupies Unit 1 of 1218 Arch Street in downtown Philadelphia, totaling approximately 20,000 square feet over two levels: the ground level and the immediate lower level. Currently, the lower level is underutilized and the Center’s programs, especially the Architecture and Design Education program, are expanding and need additional space. In addition, the Center is exploring a new business model that may eliminate or reduce non-mission-driven rentals and may involve serving additional organizational partners in the space. The Center is seeking to engage an AIA Philadelphia member firm to provide design services to create a new master plan in order to explore and confirm the potential of the Center space to support, serve, and inspire our evolving institutional goals.
The intent of this RFQ is to have the firms under consideration specifically address the services required and provide a compelling story addressing why their team is an excellent fit for this project, while also explaining their approach to the project.
The Center is not soliciting design sketches, drawings, or space descriptions at this point. This will be a Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) selection process, and the jury will focus on general Philosophy, Process and Design approach, and not specific design ideas.
