Portland Parks & Recreation has officially launched a two-stage open design competition to reimagine a portion of Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The first stage is a request for qualifications.

Multidisciplinary teams from around the world are invited to develop ideas for how the park can better serve Portland for the next 50 years, according to a PP&R press release. The competition builds upon more than a year of community engagement, including surveys, stakeholder meetings, advisory committee discussions and a public workshop. Community members have shared ideas about improving access to the Willamette River, creating spaces that invite people to spend more time in the park, supporting major events, and making the park more welcoming and accessible for everyone, PP&R shared.

Prospective entrants will need to study the search statement in the RFQ and submit their approach to the project, experience and relevant design skills as well as propose a design team, including an architect/landscape architect registered in Oregon. The deadline for responses to the RFQ is 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 30.

Firms must issue submissions via the city’s .

The competition’s second stage — a request for proposals — is expected to start in mid-September. Three short-listed teams will be given additional information and asked to create conceptual designs for the entire 30-acre park with a focus on the bowl area, PP&R stated. The estimated capital project budget for the redevelopment of the bowl alone is estimated at $40 million.

The design competition is funded by a Metro 2040 planning and development grant that was awarded last year. The goal is to raise more money for design development and phased construction via a combination of private and public sources.

Concepts created by the short-listed firms will be shown in a public exhibition early next year.

Competition jurors — subject matter experts and community and client representatives who will interview the short-listed teams and select a winner — will be announced in early fall. The winner of the competition is expected to be announced next spring.

Full details of the competition, which is being run by London-based Malcolm Reading Consultants, are available .

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