Surrey’s pop-up park is going ‘Gingham Style’ this summer. The classic concept of an outdoor picnic, inspired by the quintessential gingham checkered pattern has been awarded top spot in the City of Surrey’s 2014 PARKit Design Challenge. The winning entry, entitled ‘Gingham Style’, was submitted by local design team Liz Nguyen and Mike Wartman, who will receive up to $15,000 to fabricate and install the pop-up park this summer.
The concept of ‘Gingham Style’ will utilize a ribbon of red gingham pattern to connect a series of family style picnic tables and a fabric canopy to create a space that plays on the notion of an outdoor picnic. The result will create a warm and inviting social space that will encourage social interaction and outdoor dining.
“The growth of the PARKit Program and the quality of this year’s submissions demonstrates the growing appetite for creative and engaging public spaces, as well as the quality of local designers in our region,” says City of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.
The PARKit Design Challenge is an annual public call for the design and installation of a summertime pop-up park located adjacent to Surrey Central SkyTrain station, in Surrey City Centre. Individuals and groups were invited to submit their ideas for a creative outdoor public space capable of supporting a small pod of mobile food vendors.
“The PARKit program is a fun, vibrant summertime addition to our downtown core,” says Councillor Linda Hepner, Chair of the Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism Committee. “We are also excited to be using this site to pilot an expanded mobile food vending program this year.”
PARKit Design Challenge entries were judged by an interdisciplinary City of Surrey staff committee. Entries were reviewed based on a range of criteria, including aesthetics, creativity, safety, accessibility, sustainability and maintenance.
An honorarium of $500 of will be awarded to the Challenge’s first runner-up ‘BLUEM’, by Nicholas Doering, Alex Honeywell, Joshua McGee, Stephanie Taniguchi and Yan Zang from SFU’s School of Interactive Art & Technology (SIAT), and $250 to second runner-up ‘Palatable’, by Chelsea Louise Grant and Steve Gairns. The City will retain the rights to the runner-up designs.
The site is expected to be installed early July, and will remain open through mid-August.
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Read more information on the winner and other finalists on the project website here. Full bios and print resolution images of selected submission are available at www.surrey.ca/parkit
