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faqs

Entering the Competition

• Is the date for deadline of submission (12th September 2007 at 14.00) the date for the postmark or date for arrival?
• Can you confirm what is required for the design submission in terms of drawings etc.?
• Are we able to participate in the design competition as a private architectural studio or are we able to participate as a group of diverse professionals - i.e. architect, engineer, interior designer etc.?
• I am an architect, but not registered in the UK as one. I have been working here for the last three years and I am familiar with codes etc. - would I be eligible to enter?
• Do the contestants need to have a conservation accreditation to complete your requirements?

Design Brief

• Can you please confirm current visitor numbers?
• Is the Museum / Gallery busiest at certain times of the year - if so when?
• Is there a figure for the projected capacity of the new Museum and Gallery extension?
• Are there any urbanistic rules?
• Could you please define the extent of work to the 1989 extension - cosmetic, part or complete demolition?
• Is it possible to replace, remove or perforate the existing floors of the 1989 extension?
• Is it possible to extend the 1989 upwards (in other words, add some floors on top of the existing 1989 building)?
• Are we to understand that the modification of the 1989 façade is possible / envisaged?
• Does the rear elevation of the 1989 extension need to be retained?
• Are we allowed to remove the existing main entrance of the Gallery and replace with a new design at a new location?
• Would the existing facilities currently housed in the 1989 extension need to be retained if the existing floors in this building are re-modelled?
• Is it possible to setback the façade of the new building? Meaning, can the façade line of the new building deviate from the line imposed by its surrounding buildings -1989 extension and No. 51?
• Which Library could belong to the Museum in the long term - the central Library or that opposite (on Chester Walk)?
• Are the Public Library and the Library sited in Chester Walk part of the same organisation?
• What future connection is required to the Library - is this to be the new main entrance?
• Is the parking behind the Library at the disposition of the Museum? Can the candidates suggest parking layout / planning?
• The design brief indicates that direct loading access - to facilitate large-scale temporary exhibitions - could be undertaken from either Chester Walk or Clarence Street. The advice given on the open day appeared to suggest that Chester Walk was too narrow to accommodate this. Please can you confirm which is correct?
• Is it possible to remove or reconstruct the stair case, lift space and rear façade of the Public Library / Art gallery & Museum?
• Is No.51 building included in the competition?
• Is it possible to remove or reconstruct the front and rear façade of No. 51?
• Please clarify which parts of No. 51 are to be retained - we assume only the tallest part of 4 storeys? The 2 storey element can be removed?
• How many artists are to be accommodated and how much space is to be given to them at No. 51 Clarence Street? Can the layout of this building be altered?
• Is a basement permitted / allowed?
• Are there existing basements?
• Is it possible to re-organise a part of the old building?
• Are we free to re-design the entire layout of Museum and Gallery areas and the route across all 3 buildings - or focus purely on providing gallery space and altering accommodation in the 1989 building?
• The Cultural Review states that 150sq.m of temporary exhibition space is viable / required. The Design Brief states 300sq.m - please clarify.
• The temporary gallery is required to be 300sq.m - does this figure include the existing gallery space in the 1989 extension?
• With reference to the temporary exhibition space - 10sq.m is the maximum size of art, but what is the maximum height and width, i.e. will there be 2 storey high pieces?
• Is the additional 150sq.m for open archive / study area in addition to the 400sq.m of required storage?
• Is there a minimum floor to ceiling height required within the main storage area?
• Where is the Emery Walker Library currently situated in the Museum - and how is it to be exhibited, stored or used? How much space does it need?
• Please confirm required size for visible storage / open access and case store.
• Is it acceptable to put storage in the basement?
• Can you provide more precise information concerning the café - which is to be transferred to the ground floor.
• Please confirm required size for shop and shop store.
• What size of goods / passenger lift is required?
• Is it possible to demolish the yard and cottages (Nos. 3 and 5) behind No. 51?
• What does category one security mean - and where can we access required security standards?
• Please confirm the area required for the dedicated picture gallery and the community gallery - are there environmental requirements the same as the temporary gallery?
• Does the £4m budget include or exclude VAT and fees? Please clarify main components.
• What negotiations have taken place with the planning department?
• Are we able to discuss the competition with the planners - who is the contact?
• Considering the main staircase of the 19th century building has been considerably altered (as necessitated by the previous re-organisations and extensions) and its original function will further be eroded with the new extension - what importance do the assessors attach to its further alterations or total removal?
• Is a BREEAM excellent rating part of the brief?
• Who will assess the environmental credentials of the submissions?
• Does all the new development have to be with natural and reclaimed material or natural and/or reclaimed material?
• What is the Library on the 3rd floor of the 1989 extension used for? Should it be accessible to the public, partly accessible or for private use by library staff?
• Are there any ground condition investigations available?
• Are there any archaeological reports for the site we can be provided with?
• What is the tower (within the 1889 building) above the Museum used for? Is there access to the rooms from the 3rd floor?
• How is the building currently heated and cooled? Where are the plant rooms located? Are any services shared with the Library?
• Should the competitors assume from the budget and the existing Museum conditions, that air conditioning is not a requirement within the design, and that a non-mechanical sustainable form of environmental control is required?
• Is the neighbour building of Norfolk House part of the site for the competition?

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