NYCxDESIGN Announces Competition to Enhance Public Space

Until April 8, NYCxDESIGN will be accepting entries in a competition to create public installations in design-centric neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Manhattan.  The program is called IMPACTxDESIGN and it’s aimed at adding to the city’s iconic streetscapes. Two winning proposals, selected by NYCxDESIGN and the Design Trust for Public Space, will be announced in May and awarded $10,000 to construct their installations. The goal is to have both complete in Fall 2021, to coincide with NYCxDESIGN: The Festival, which is scheduled to take place November 11–18 after a hiatus last year due to COVID-19.

Sponsored by Caesarstone, a company that produces quartz surfaces commonly used for countertops, the competition is being launched with close collaboration from the Design Trust for Public Space as well as the Dumbo Improvement District and Downtown Alliance, organizations that play a key role in nurturing and advocating for public space in New York City.

The competition brief is open-ended. NYCxDESIGN describes a potential installation as: “A place to meet your neighbors, a spot to slow down, an area to commonly interact.” Though they are looking for projects that will fit seamlessly into existing spaces, there is only one restriction: designers must use Caesarstone’s quartz as the primary material in their designs. Elizabeth Margles, vice president of marketing, Caesarstone North America, says, “We are confident the program participants will create inspiring spaces with our beautiful and durable materials that will allow people to enjoy their surroundings and shared experiences.”

It’s the spirit of New York’s exceptional public spaces that motivates this competition. “Public space is one of New York’s most important assets,” says Matthew Clarke, executive director at the Design Trust for Public Space.  “How we design, imagine, and create these areas will impact New Yorkers for generations.” This competition is an opportunity for two designers to make a lasting impact on New York’s ever changing, ever inspiring streetscape.