Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Joyce Frank Menschel, President of the Art Commission, today honored eight City projects for design excellence and announced a "Design and Construction Excellence Initiative," at the 22nd Annual Art Commission Awards at the Brooklyn Museum.  The Brooklyn Museum also received a special recognition award for its new front entrance and plaza which was designed by Polshek Partnership Architects LLP.  These projects, which exemplify the highest design standards, were selected from the hundreds of submissions the Art Commission reviewed in 2003.

"Each year, by presenting these Awards, our administration demonstrates its commitment to fostering good design in our City," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "With the guidance and support of the Art Commission, we are going to launch the 'Design and Construction Excellence Initiative' to expand our City's pre-eminence as the design capital of the world."

"During the past two-and-a-half years, it has been especially gratifying to work with an administration that has helped the Art Commission realize some of its long-held goals," said Ms. Menschel. "The Design and Construction Excellence Initiative represents an important cultural change that will foster design excellence, which is key to quality of life in our city adding human as well as economic value."

The goal of the "Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" is to encourage City agencies to strive for the same level of excellence in design for all public works-large and small-that is recognized annually by the Art Commission's Awards.  The initiative will establish new ways of contracting with design consultants that, by emphasizing quality in the selection process, will secure the most creative designers for City funded projects and ensure excellence in the design and construction process.  Most importantly, the initiative will consider the long-term operating and maintenance savings that can be gained from emphasizing merit in design.

The Design and Construction Excellence Initiative will be the subject of a panel discussion at the Center for Architecture on Monday, July 19, 2004 at 5:30 p.m.  The event will officially open an exhibition of Art Commission Design Award-winning projects from 2002 and 2003, which will be on display from July 19th to August 7th.  Moderated by Mitchell Moss, Professor of Urban Policy & Planning at New York University, the panel includes David Burney, AIA, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction; Nicholas Quennell, FASLA, Quennell Rothschild & Partners, LLP; Nancy Rosen, Public Art Advisor; and Marla Simpson, Director of the Mayor's Office of Contract Services.  The Center for Architecture is located at 536 LaGuardia Place between Bleecker Street and West Third Street.

Twenty-Second Annual Art Commission Awards for Excellence in Design Recipients

Construction of the Queens Community District 14 Garage and Salt Shed
(Almeda Avenue and Beach 51st Street, Edgemere, Queens)
Mike Friedlander & Staff, Department of Sanitation
Judd Designs, DaSilva Black and Calcagni Chesser, Architects,
A Project of the New York City Department of Sanitation

Redesign of the Gardens of Remembrance
(Upper Promenade, Battery Park, Manhattan)
Piet Oudolf, Garden Designer
A Project of the The Battery Conservancy and the
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

Installation of an Entrance Canopy, Light Sculpture and a Distinctive Sidewalk
(The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place, Battery Park City, Manhattan)
James Turrell, Artist and Roger Duffy, Skidmore, Owings & Merrills LLP
A Project of the Skyscraper Museum

Reconstruction of the Northern Portion of the Columbus Park Landscape
(South of Bayard Street between Baxter Street and Mulberry Street, Manhattan)
Hui Mei Grove, RLA, Department of Parks & Recreation
A Project of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

Construction of Shaft 21 Superstructure over Water Tunnel No. 1
(285 South Street at Clinton Street, Manhattan)
Robert D. Cuevas, RA & Staff, Department of Environmental Protection
A Project of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection

Design of the West 8th Street Station South Façade
(Coney Island, Brooklyn)
Vito Acconci, Acconci Studio
James McConnell, Daniel Frankfurt PC
A Project of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Arts for Transit/New York City Transit

Reconstruction of the Ground Floor and Plaza of El Museo del Barrio
(1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street, Manhattan)
Jordan L. Gruzen, Gruzen Samton LLP
A Project of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Design and Construction

Special Recognition Award
Design of Front Entrance and Plaza of the Brooklyn Museum
(200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn)
James S. Polshek & Duncan R. Hazard, Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP

The Art Commission is New York City's design review agency.  Established in 1898, the Commission's mandate is to review works of art, architecture and landscape architecture on City-owned property for aesthetic merit.  It is comprised of 11 members, and includes an architect, landscape architect, painter and sculptor as well as representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library.