View the full Request for Qualifications here

THE BUFFALO ARCHITECTURE CENTER 726 EXCHANGE STREET, SUITE 1006

Buffalo, NY 14210

Request for Qualifications

for

EXHIBITION DESIGN

for the

BUFFALO ARCHITECTURE CENTER

DECEMBER 20, 2016

Buffalo Architecture Center - Exhibition Design December, 2016 Request for Qualifications

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Context

III. Buffalo Architecture Center Overview

IV. Scope of Services

V. Exhibition Concepts

VI. Budget

VII. Schedule

VIII. Considerations

IX. Submittal Format

X. Selection Criteria

XI. Special Conditions

XII. Appendices


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I. Introduction

The Buffalo Architecture Center (the Center) is a new cultural institution in the City of Buffalo

promoting design literacy and celebrating excellence in architecture and city planning as

demonstrated by Buffalo’s outstanding architectural heritage. The Center is located in the

mixed-use Richardson Olmsted Complex, a National Historic Landmark. The Complex is set in

the heart of Buffalo’s cultural corridor and the Buffalo Olmsted Park System, neighboring the

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, and the Buffalo History Museum.

The Center was created and is managed by the non-profit Richardson Architecture Center (RAC)

board, in collaboration with its affiliated board the Richardson Center Corporation (RCC), the

owner and developer of the Richardson Olmsted Complex. The Center will open in late 2017

with 3,000 square feet of exhibition and programming space and will exist as a co-tenant with

Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center (Hotel Henry). The Buffalo Architecture Center is

a not-for-profit 501(c)(3).

The Center is seeking a well-qualified design team to collaborate on the planning and design of

the exhibition and programming spaces.

Responses to this Request for Qualifications in the form of an electronic copy should be

received by January 18, 2017 5:00 pm EST. Responses are limited to 20 total pages and are

requested in portrait orientation. Short listed firms may be asked to appear for an in-person

interview.

Please send responses Christine Krolewicz

and direct questions to: Buffalo Architecture Center

726 Exchange Street, Suite 1006

Buffalo, New York 14210

[email protected]

(716) 601-1152

II. Context

Summary of the Richardson Olmsted Complex

One of Buffalo’s most iconic buildings and a National Historic Landmark, the 140-year-old

Richardson Olmsted Complex is being renewed after years of neglect. Designed by one of

America's premier architects, Henry Hobson Richardson, in concert with the famed landscape

team of Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the building was completed in the late 1800s

mailto:[email protected]


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as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.

It incorporated a system of enlightened treatment for people with mentally illness developed

by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, in part by providing pleasing surroundings. Over the years, as

mental health treatment changed and resources were diverted, the buildings and grounds

began a slow deterioration. In 2006, the Richardson Center Corporation was formed with a

mandate to save the buildings and bring the Complex back to life through a New York State

appropriation for this architectural treasure.

Today, the Richardson Olmsted Complex is being transformed into a cultural amenity for the

city, beginning with Hotel Henry and the Buffalo Architecture Center in the iconic Towers

Building and two flanking buildings, which comprise about one third of the Complex. The

remaining buildings have been stabilized for future opportunities.

A Historic Structures Report and Cultural Landscape Report created a Master Plan and serve as

guides for the rehabilitation. At every stage of planning, the Richardson Center Corporation has

used an active public process, which has helped to inform the Master Plan and all phases of

redevelopment for the Complex.

III. Buffalo Architecture Center Overview

Our Mission

The Buffalo Architecture Center (the Center) explores excellence in architecture and city

planning as demonstrated by Buffalo’s outstanding architectural heritage. Located in the

Richardson Olmsted Complex, the Center will provide orientation, prompt inspiration, and serve

as a gathering place to launch new ideas related to architecture, landscape, and design.

Through exhibitions, tours, programs, and outreach, the Center engages the public in Buffalo’s

architecture, landscape design, and urban planning, and its role in culture and design literacy.

The Center fosters collaboration with organizations with the similar goal of activating Buffalo’s

architecture, planning, and landscape. By providing a center to host exhibitions, events, and

programs, the Center actively collaborates with aligned groups in dialogue and shared

programming.

Our Audience

Our vision for the Center begins with the phrase “Buffalo Starts Here.” We envision the Center

acting as a starting point for exploration of our city and region by locals and tourists alike,

strengthening our audiences’ connections with Buffalo through the lens of its rich architectural


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history.

Primary Audiences – Buffalo/WNY residents (all ages/all abilities), cultural tourists,

design enthusiasts and professionals

Secondary Audiences – Schools/Education (K-12 and college students)

Tertiary Audiences – Professional organizations, experts/specialty groups

Our Partners The Buffalo Architecture Center is already actively engaged with aligned organizations including

neighboring cultural institutions, professional organizations, and other sites that contribute to

our architectural heritage. The Center has been regularly meeting with these partners since

2011:

American Institute of Architects

Albright-Knox Art Gallery

American Planning Association

American Society of Landscape

Architects

Buffalo Architecture Foundation

Buffalo History Museum

Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy

Buffalo Psychiatric Center

Burchfield Penney Art Center

Campaign for Greater Buffalo

Darwin D. Martin House

The Graycliff Estate & Conservancy

Museum Education Consortium of

Buffalo

Preservation Buffalo Niagara

The Roycroft Campus

Society of Architectural Historians

SUNY Buffalo State

SUNY University at Buffalo - School

of Architecture & Planning, Society

for Disability Studies

US Green Building Council

Visit Buffalo Niagara

IV. Scope of Services

This Request for Qualifications seeks responses from design teams with expertise in

architecture, interior architecture, and/or exhibition design to co-curate, design, and build the

inaugural exhibition program and visitor experience of the Buffalo Architecture Center. The

successful firm will work with the Buffalo Architecture Center’s Board and future staff and

consultants in the development of its three inaugural exhibitions related to the city of Buffalo

and the Richardson Olmsted Complex.


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The consultant will address the issues below to advance the Exhibition Design needs of the

Buffalo Architecture Center. Respondents should include their approach and a work plan that

includes the following components:

1. Exhibition design and construction of a permanent exhibition and visitor experience on

the architecture and planning of the city of Buffalo (approx. 1300 sq. ft.).

2. Exhibition design and construction of a permanent exhibition and visitor experience on

the story of the Richardson Olmsted Complex and the history of mental health

treatment (approx. 400 sq. ft.).

3. Exhibition design and construction of a temporary rotating exhibition on the theme to

be co-developed with the Board (approx. 700 sq. ft.). We expect the exhibition to

change approximately every 6 months.

4. Design and construction of elements in ancillary spaces to be determined, such as

hallways and other public spaces in the Towers Building – including design of gift shop

area and donor recognition wall.

5. A permanent wayfinding system between the spaces of the Center.

6. Development of exhibition content and development in collaboration with the Buffalo

Architecture Center (research has been conducted and themes determined – see

Appendix A).

7. Cost estimating services for build out of exhibitions and wayfinding.

V. Exhibition Concepts

A visioning process for the exhibitions is ongoing and is expected to continue with the selected

design team. The content will be developed in collaboration with the Buffalo Architecture

Center – themes have been determined and research conducted. See Appendix A for full

Exhibition Brief.

VI. Budget

The aggregate inaugural exhibition (Package items 1-3) has an estimated average budget

amount of $500 per square foot for design and production. The permanent wayfinding system

has a total budget of $20,000. The budget will be finalized during this design process.


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VII. Schedule

ACTIVITY DATE

RFQ Issued December 20, 2016

Submit Email Confirming Interest December 30, 2016

Site Visit January 4, 2017 at 4pm

Last Day to Submit Questions January 10, 2017 by 9am

Responses to Questions Provided January 13, 2017

RFQ Submission Due January 18, 2017 by 5pm

Teams Contacted for Interviews January 25, 2017

Team Selection By February 15, 2017

Project Kickoff By February 28, 2017

Installation Begins June 2017

Buffalo Architecture Center Grand Opening December 1, 2017

NOTE: All firms that have notified the Center contact of their intent to submit a proposal will be

copied by email with the answers to any project-related questions submitted by other firms

preparing their own proposals.

VIII. Considerations

The Center will reside as a co-tenant with Hotel Henry in the Richardson Olmsted

Complex. The intermixed spaces require consideration and an ongoing,

collaborative relationship with the hotel and the owner of the Richardson Olmsted

Complex (Richardson Center Corporation) is anticipated.

A search for the Center’s Executive Director is underway and it is anticipated that

the position will be filled while this project is active. The Executive Director will be

an active contributor to this project.

The Center currently has a small staff in place and will designate a single point of

contact to liaison the design team. A working board, which includes a

Branding/Marketing Committee in addition to an Exhibition Committee, will also

have input as the project progresses.

IX. Submittal Format

Each submittal entry should be provided in the format identified below, not to exceed 20 pages

total.


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A. COVER LETTER

Summarize background of firms on team, qualifications, and resources most relevant

to this project.

Identify team members (if applicable).

Provide name of contact person, phone, fax, and email address.

B. APPROACH

Statement of Team’s Design Philosophy and how this project relates to it.

Concisely summarize the proposed approach to the project, with discussion of team

interaction (if applicable) and overall philosophy of the project.

Outline presenting a description of the scope of work and tasks.

Identify deliverables.

C. RELEVANT EXPERIENCE & PROJECTS

Provide brief descriptive text for each project as follows:

o Project and client name

o Scope of program

o Square footage, square footage costs, design fee

o Beginning/ending dates of project

o Specify the role of key personnel for this project

D. PROJECT TEAM SUMMARY AND RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONS

Identify proposed key team members including consultants (i.e. Principal in Charge,

Project Manager).

Summarize a proposal of team member roles and responsibilities for this project.

List experience relative to those roles (reference projects in B & C above if relevant).

Identify Consultants.

E. MEMO OF CURRENT WORK LOAD

If selected as the Designer of this project, identify how it will fit into your current

scheduled activities.

F. REFERENCES

Provide client references for all projects in Section C, in the form of names, titles,

current mail and email addresses, and phone numbers.


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G. PROPOSED PROJECT SCHEDULE

Provide a timeline with dates for completion of significant project tasks and

deliverables and time commitments of team members/individuals to project tasks.

H. PROPOSED BUDGET COMMENT

Provide a review of the Project’s budget identified in Item III. C, page 9.

I. FEE COST STRUCTURE

Although a proposed fee is not part of the submission, please describe the manner

in which you calculate and structure fee and reimbursable costs for projects of this

type and scope.

J. APPENDIX

Supporting Materials including resumes of key team members

X. Selection Criteria The Buffalo Architecture Center is undertaking a qualifications-based selection process. Major

considerations in the selection will be the following:

Demonstrated team and staff understanding of 21st-century institutional planning and

visitor experience planning for architecture centers, museums, historic sites, and/or

similar types of visitor attractions.

Demonstrated team and staff understanding of institutional planning for start-up

institutions.

An understanding of the context and the goals associated with the proposed Exhibition

Design and the respondent’s approach to the project.

Experience in designing comparable projects for similar clients and institutions.

Evidence from prior experience of the ability to successfully provide services and

complete tasks listed in the Scope of Services in a professional and cost-effective

manner.

The professional experience and quality of comparable work of the proposed key design

staff members.


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Capability to provide dedicated professional staff/team and time to complete the

project on time and to high standards.

A demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with clients, consultants, community

members, and stakeholders and to respect project budget and scheduling parameters.

The cost and schedule for the performance of the work will be factors in the selection,

however the final scope of services, cost, and schedule will be negotiated with the

selected firm.

WBE/MBE firms are encouraged to apply.

Teaming is encouraged where necessary and appropriate – we understand some firms may not

have internal expertise in every aspect of design required for this project (exhibit planning,

exhibit design, wayfinding, etc.).

The submissions will be judged primarily on the understanding of the scope of work and the

firm’s past success in executing projects effectively. The evaluation will also appraise the

proposal’s sensitivity to scope and schedule. Preference will be given to the proposal that the

Center feels will best help it achieve the measure of success sought for the completed project.

XI. Special Conditions

1. This RFQ does not commit the Buffalo Architecture Center or any other entity affiliated

with the Richardson Center Corporation to procure or award a contract for the scope of

work described herein.

2. All information submitted in response to this RFQ shall become the property of the

Center, and as such, may be used by the Center in any manner.

3. The Center has sole discretion and reserves the right to reject any and all responses

received with respect to this RFQ and to cancel the RFQ at any time prior to entering

into a formal agreement. The Center reserves the right to reasonably request additional

information or clarification of information provided in the response without changing

the terms of the RFQ.

4. The Center reserves the right to waive any technicalities or irregularities in any proposal.

5. Respondent firms/teams acknowledge and agree that the Center or any other entity

affiliated with the property or the Richardson Center Corporation will not be liable for

any costs, expenses, losses, damages (including damages for loss of anticipated profit),


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or liabilities incurred as a result of, or arising out of, submitting a response, negotiating

changes to such response, or due to BAC’s acceptance or non-acceptance of the

proposal.

6. The Center shall determine at its sole discretion and provide the release of all public

information concerning the project, including selection announcements and contract

awards. Those desiring to release information associated with this RFQ to the public

must receive prior written approval from an authorized representative of the Center.

7. Neither the Center, the Richardson Center Corporation, the State of New York, nor any

of its officers, agents, consultants, or employees shall be responsible for the accuracy of

any information provided as part of this RFQ. All respondents are encouraged to

independently verify the accuracy of any information provided. The use of any of this

information in the preparation of a response to the RFQ is at the sole risk of the

respondent.

8. The respondent shall not collude in any manner or engage in any practices with any

other respondent(s), which may restrict or eliminate competition or otherwise restrain

trade. Violation of this instruction will cause the Center to reject the respondent’s

submittal. This prohibition is not intended to preclude joint ventures or subcontracts.

9. All responses submitted must be the original work product of the respondent. The

copying, paraphrasing, or other use of substantial portions of the work product of

another respondent is not permitted unless legally enforceable permission has been

secured from that other party. Failure to adhere to this instruction will cause the Center

to reject the response.

10. Respondents, team members, and its consultants are prohibited from communicating in

any manner about this project with any of the members of the Center’s staff, its Board

of Directors, Consultants, or the Review Committee during this process. All questions

during this period should be submitted in writing to the address above or via e-mail to

[email protected]. Communications between respondents and the

Center, the Richardson Center Corporation Board, or its consultants and agents,

notwithstanding the foregoing procedure, may disqualify the respondent.

mailto:[email protected]


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XII. APPENDICES Appendix A: Exhibition Brief

Appendix B: Permanent exhibition space plan

Appendix C: Temporary exhibition space plan

Appendix D: Richardson Olmsted Complex space plan


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Appendix A: Exhibition Brief

A. Key Background Information

The Buffalo Architecture Center will provide a dedicated space for exploring Buffalo’s rich architectural heritage and today’s architectural issues relevant to the city and worldwide. The Center will also serve as a place for collaboration with members of the community and our cultural partners.

In terms of visitor experiences on-site, a robust tour program of the Richardson Olmsted Complex has been in place since 2011. It is currently managed by the Richardson Center Corporation, the owner of the Richardson Olmsted Complex. The Center will assume oversight of the tour program in 2018. Tours have welcomed over 10,000 visitors since the program began in 2011, with over 100 tours now offered each season, and have consistently sold out. It is expected that the exhibition design team will take this into account, especially since the exhibition focused on the Richardson Olmsted Complex’s history will only be accessible on tours.

B. Exhibit Rationale

Buffalo has a rich collection of cultural and professional institutions that offer a diverse experience in the arts for Buffalo residents and visitors (see list of our partners on page 5). Geographically, our closest partners are the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Buffalo History Museum, and the Darwin D. Martin House. While other institutions offer architecturally relevant content, there is no one institution in Buffalo that provides a holistic overview of Buffalo’s architectural legacy and its significant contribution to 20th-century national and international architecture. As such, the Center will act as a connecter and convener to our partners.

The Center will be composed of three exhibition experiences: a permanent exhibition about the city of Buffalo; a permanent exhibition on the story of the Richardson Olmsted Complex and the history of mental health treatment; and a temporary exhibition space (inaugural exhibition theme TBD).

City of Buffalo Permanent Exhibition

The permanent exhibition will be located on the lower level of the Towers Building, directly

adjacent to the new North Entry of the Richardson Olmsted Complex. The exhibition chronicles

Buffalo’s rich architectural history and its role in the development of 20th-century architecture

nationally and internationally.

During the last quarter of the 19th century, Buffalo became an economic and industrial

powerhouse. From 1881 to 1900, its population grew from 155,000 to 352,00, becoming the 7th


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largest city in the US and the 3rd wealthiest. As the city grew, Buffalo’s civic leaders sought to

transform it into a world-class city with world-class architecture. As such, they commissioned

nationally-prominent architects to design much of their work.

Indeed, in addition to H.H. Richardson and Frederick Law Olmsted, Buffalo boasts examples of

work from Sullivan & Adler, Burnham & Root, McKim, Mead & White, Richard Upjohn, and

Frank Lloyd Wright. This wealth also provided opportunities to local architects to create

significant work; some of Buffalo’s most prominent local architects include Richard Waite,

Edward B. Greene, and Louise Bethune, the first professional woman architect in the United

States.

Much of Buffalo’s rich architectural legacy is still intact. This exhibition will serve as an

orientation to our legacy where visitors will be given the tools, digitally and otherwise, to

explore the physical buildings in our city on their own.

This permanent exhibition is approximately 1,300 square feet and is composed of four rooms,

connected by vestibules and niches. This will allow for a free choice learning environment, with

no specific flow. The rooms and niches will provide opportunities for individual and small group

learning. It will also provide opportunities to develop a multitude of interpretive themes

relative to Buffalo’s architecture and the architects and patrons who created them. Through

interactive exhibits for individual and group learners, visitors of the Center, whether new to

Buffalo or long-time residents, will enthusiastically explore our city’s architectural jewels.

Richardson Olmsted Complex Exhibition

The Richardson Olmsted Complex-centric exhibition will be in a 400-square-foot suite of historic rooms on the first floor of one of the former patient wing buildings (now a hotel room corridor for Hotel Henry). This interactive exhibition will tell the story of the Complex and the history of mental health treatment in America. It will honor the legacy of Complex as a site of architectural achievement, development of ideas, and human experience, and tell the story of the building and the institution that many generations knew as the Buffalo State Hospital. This story, as with many stories of universal significance, has its public side as well as its hidden, private side. The public history of the Complex is one of an architectural landmark and a place that witnessed nearly a century of advancements in the medical understanding of what mental illness is and how it should be treated. The private history of the Complex highlights the collective experience of the thousands of patients as well as men and women whose work and commitment made it possible for the hospital to operate on a daily basis.

This suite will feature such themes as the development of the Complex as an architectural

landmark and a mental health hospital based on the Kirkbride Plan, the evolution of medicine in

respect to mental illness, and ideas about social progress, reform, and mental health that

shaped how the Complex changed over the course of over a century. It will present the private


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history of the site through the experiences of patients, their family members, and the hospital’s

personnel. It will highlight such themes as daily life in the hospital, therapies employed over

time, and the changing yet persistent stigma of mental illness. The exhibition will further

challenge visitors to examine contemporary treatment of people with mental illness.

Temporary Exhibition

The 700-square-foot temporary exhibition space is located on the first floor of the Towers

Building, adjacent to 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry. In this space, the Center will

house temporary exhibitions on architecture and design-related topics. Exhibits will be both

borrowed from other institutions and created by the Center. The exhibition space will be

designed to allow for as much flexibility as possible to ensure that diverse exhibitions are

offered to visitors and members of the Center. We anticipate that the exhibitions will rotate

every six months.

C. Target Audiences

We envision the Center acting as a starting point for exploration of our city and region by locals

and tourists alike, strengthening our audiences’ connections with Buffalo through the lens of its

rich architectural history.

Primary Audiences – Buffalo/WNY residents (all ages/all abilities), cultural tourists,

design enthusiasts and professionals (architects, landscape architects, architectural

historians and urban planners)

Secondary Audiences – Schools/Education (K-12 and college students)

Tertiary Audiences – Professional organizations, experts/specialty groups

D. Interpretive Themes

While there may be other themes that are identified in the design process, the following is the priority of interpretive themes currently anticipated:

Buffalo/WNY architecture. Starting with H.H. Richardson, the “father” of American

architecture and the architect of the Complex, we wish to explore the significant

architecture and architects who made Buffalo the titan of 20th-century design which we

now treasure. Other architects and their buildings which may be included are:

Frederick Law Olmsted

Richard Upjohn

Louis Sullivan

Daniel Burnham

McKim, Mead & White

Frank Lloyd Wright


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Edward B. Greene (Green &

Wicks)

Louise Bethune

Eliel and Eero Saarinen

Gordon Bunshaft (SOM)

Minoru Yamasaki

Charles Gwathmey

(Gwathmey Siegel)

Paul Rudolph

Toshiko Mori

The importance of holistic/interdisciplinary design. The Richardson Olmsted Complex

was the result of three brilliant minds: H.H. Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Dr.

Thomas Story Kirkbride. The impact of interdisciplinary design excellence is a vital

component in our human experience of place and space. We see the design and story

of the Complex as an opportunity to discuss architecture, landscape architecture, urban

planning, and wellness. The integration of all of these considerations makes the

Complex an early holistic and sustainable design.

Holistic design of the world. We are interested in exploring examples of other projects

that, through holistically excellent design work, represent why multi-disciplinary design

may be the most sustainable.

E. Core Interpretive Message

Our vision for the Center begins with the phrase “Buffalo Starts Here,” which will be refined in

collaboration with our branding firm, who were are currently in the process of hiring. We

anticipate that our branding process and our exhibit design process will overlap and inform

each other.

F. Visitor Experience

We see the Center as a place for all ages and all abilities where the overriding visitor experience

is synesthetic: engaging and activating all the senses.

The Center envisions a dynamic and interactive interpretive experience where visitors learn

through:

Doing

Inquiring

Discovering

G. Defining Core Interpretive Devices

The Center understands that some content is best communicated through the use of more

traditional interpretive methods and devices, but since we are appealing to all ages and


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abilities, we want to ensure that there is also a multiplicity of different learning pathways to

engage visitors.

Some of the potential interpretive devices that the Center has been discussing and exploring

include:

Maker spaces/activity tables

Learning/touch tables

Object handling where appropriate (since the Center has no artifact collection)

Activity trails (e.g., scavenger hunt at the Center and throughout the city)

Visitor comment area

Virtual/augmented reality

Seminars/programming

Mobile app

Activity kits

Website

Social media

Google Art Project

The interpretive devices listed above are for example only and are not in any order of

preference.

H. Visitor Outcomes/Message

We want visitors to leave the Center with the following:

Oriented to Buffalo’s architectural history, educated on its impact nationally and

internationally, and excited to visit other sites in person.

An understanding of the design principles they will see at other sites and throughout

their built environment.

An understanding of holistic/interdisciplinary design as it relates to the Richardson

Olmsted Complex and to architecture overall.

Documents

View the full Request for Qualifications here