DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTED MATERIAL:  May 5, 2008

The Site

The site has a total of 15.81 acres with large areas of natural native plants and small wildlife.  There is a walking path through this site used by many in the immediate community of corporate offices and other State agencies.  The site has a minor fault line running on the 2700 West side of the site called the Granger Fault.  This fault has influenced the placement of the facility further east onto the site.

The landscape plan for areas not left in their natural state is being designed with annual sun movement and angles in mind and will preserve the walking trail with slight and more curved deviations as it nears the facility. 

Project pdf and jpeg files: Site Plan - Atrium - Exterior 1 - Exterior 2 - Exterior 3 - Exterior 5 - Exterior 6

The Building

The Unified State Laboratory facility is being designed and constructed through a hybrid collaborative design process by VCBO Architecture, SmithGroup, and Big-D  Construction. The laboratory site is located on the State-owned Rampton Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 60,193 square foot Unified State Laboratory Module I, currently in design, contains public health labs, forensic toxicology labs, administrative offices, common space, and building support.

Laboratory facilities have unique requirements that are integral to the design and construction of the project including safety features to address hazardous and biohazardous materials, security at building entry points, efficiency features such as bench and lab workstations, and laboratory specific systems for exhaust, water and refrigeration. All of these requirements are designed and built into the Unified State Laboratory facility. As desired by laboratory staff, the three-story building includes a variety of highly specialized laboratory space with collaborative areas, sustainable features, and plenty of natural light.

The building is a 3-story steel structure with a large penthouse. The floor to floor elevation is typically 16’. In order to promote a flexible laboratory environment, the floor has been designed to meet strict vibration criteria.  The Steering Committee agreed upon a scheme that organizes three buildings (the Unified State Lab and two future State buildings) around a centralized courtyard. The master plan also provides for a single common entry that serves the campus at final build-out.

The material palette is conceived to support the quality and identity appropriate for a State facility of this stature and to address the need for durable and low maintenance materials long term. Not only is it critical to invest up front on materials that are durable and aesthetically appropriate, it is paramount that the exterior materials provide the State with a low to no maintenance exterior skin to prevent the need for replacement and repair to reduce operational costs. The exterior material palette is designed to be simple but also elegant and reflective of the mission of the Agency in creating an ‘excellent workplace.’ The palette is comprised of three basic materials:

1- Integral color ground-faced CMU

2- Exterior Panel System [Trespa, Swisspearl or similar]

3- Insulated Glazing w/ Aluminum Storefront and Curtainwall Systems]

In addition to this basic palette, the design will include important aluminum and steel shading elements that will preserve goals of daylighting and views while providing adequate protection from the sun. These shading elements are critical to reducing overall HVAC loading on the mechanical systems and will reduce energy consumption and operational costs over the life of the building.

Building Use

The Bureau of Microbiology

The Bureau of Microbiology helps the state and local health departments investigate outbreaks and tests for infectious diseases. The Bureau also provides testing for genetic disorders for all newborns in the State of Utah. The Bureau is a member of the Laboratory Response Network and its employees are trained and equipped to identify agents that could be used as biological weapons. The Bureau also serves as a resource and reference laboratory to private laboratories in the state.

The Bureau of Forensic Toxicology

The Bureau of Forensic Toxicology Laboratory analyzes body fluids and tissues to determine the presence of alcohol, drugs, and other substances. Toxicology results are used to: assist medical examiners in determining cause and manner of death; and assist law enforcement agencies in cases involving driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs, automobile homicides, and other crimes. Toxicology staff conduct the analyses, issue reports on their findings, and provide court testimony to interpret the test results.

The Bureau of Chemical and Environmental Services

The Bureau of Chemical and Environmental Services focuses on three program areas: environmental testing, bio-monitoring, and chemical preparedness. It tests for contaminants in drinking water, lakes and rivers, and other materials in coordination with its partners. The Environmental Biomonitoring and Chemical Preparedness Programs test biological specimens for the presence of chemical contaminants.

ADJUNCT SUPPORT SERVICES:

The Bureau of Laboratory Improvement

The Bureau of Laboratory Improvement is responsible for ensuring that laboratories perform tests properly. The Bureau provides quality assurance assistance, safety training, and technical services within the Utah Public Health Laboratory. The Bureau also manages the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification program for Utah.

Unified Shared Laboratories

• Training Labs
• Conferencing Areas
• Amenities
• Shipping and Receiving
• Building Support

These elements are primarily located on the 1st floor but also are distributed throughout the building in support of laboratory functions.

Administration

In support of the Unified State Laboratory Director and the administrative staff, a suite of office support spaces are provided and located on the 3rd floor of the building.

Management Services

In support of the management functions of the Unified State Laboratory and its related staff, office support spaces are provided and collocated with administration offices located on the 3rd floor of the proposed building.

The City of Taylorsville

Taylorsville is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population was 57,439 at the 2000 census. Its estimated population in 2007 stood at 60,100.

The land on which Taylorsville is located is part of a huge interconnected alluvial plain that was formed by the wearing down of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains to the east and west. Lake Bonneville shaped the topography of the area and deposited the usual lake bottom clay and sand. A broad, east-west running ridge called "Bennion Hill" rises perhaps a hundred and fifty feet above the surrounding area. Bennion Hill is the eastern end of a wide ridge which rises toward Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains to the west.

Early Mormon pioneer John Bennion described the Taylorsville area, “ if peace dwells upon this earth it is here and here are the happiest and most prosperous people in  the world, enjoying free soil, pure air, liberty to worship our God just as we please…“. 

Committee Statement

The concept of the Unified State Lab is derived from the name itself. Unification is the creation of one from multiple, whether it is one science with another, or the built environment with nature and/or art. It’s all about creating a symbiotic relationship between multiple elements. The selection committee desires work(s) of art that engage with nature and the surrounding environment, which follows the concepts for the lab project.

There are a number of sites within the project identified by the committee as acceptable for placement of public art.  The committee is also very open to other sites as suggested by artists.  The struggle is with the nature of the facility and the requirements of security measures thereby limiting areas of the project designated as public.

Potential sites include: 1. the entry/approach west side of the site on 2700 West. The building sets back from the street creating an expansive area that is open to the west. This is due in part to the Granger fault line which occurs directly through the center of the site. 2. The pedestrian path which has historically been a running path for the neighborhood. This path is now being redirected to engage with the building, which in turn creates yet another opportunity to engage with the public. 3. A large entry plaza with bollards and various open spaces on the south side.  4. Looking to the east, the building greets the rising sun and opens to spectacular views of the Wasatch Mountain range. Two story covered “porticos” run along the east side and at the southeast and northeast corners. This side of the building faces the number of passersby whizzing along the Interstate 215 belt route less than 200 yards from the site. This is an area where integration of art with architecture can occur. 5. Another area of consideration that engages with the building is the public entry lobby, this interior space is the only space in the building that is public and is limited to a 20’ square by 36’ high area.

Budget

$205,000 is available for all related expenses of this Public Art commission(s) including (but not limited to) artist fees, fabrication, insurance, shipping, travel, installation, documentation, etc.  The committee may commission more than one artist for this project.

Eligibility

Resident American or legal resident artists / artist teams are encouraged to apply.  Art selection committee members and immediate families, and employees or consultants of VCBO Architects are not eligible for this project.  Artists residing in Illinois are not eligible due to Utah statute that requires artists considered for Utah commissions live in states where Utah artists are also able to apply for public art commissions.

Specific requirements for submitting applications

All applications must include the following:

• A letter of interest not more than three typewritten pages. This letter should include the artist’s reasons for interest in this project in particular.  In doing so, the artist should also describe how his/her work and/or experience relates to the project. 
  
• A PC compatible CD Labeled with applicant's name, contact information and number of images (not to exceed 10)  Images must be JPEG format, 1920 pixels maximum on the longest side, 72 dpi, with compression settings resulting in the best image quality under 2MB file size. The file or files should be named so that the list sorts in the order of the image listing.
  
  -- OR –
  
• Slide documentation of previous work that represents site-specific art in public places. Up to ten (10) slides in 35mm format with 2" x 2" paper or plastic mounts of applicable work labeled with artist' s name and identification number (for ID sheet.)  Indicate on the slide the top of the image. Slides should be submitted in a 9" x 11" clear plastic slide file sheet.
  
  -- OR –
  
• DVD (of no more than 3 minutes) or VHS (of no more that 3 minutes cued to the point you wish the committee to view) are also acceptable media as documentation of artist’s projects that cannot be documented well with still image.   Only one media, film or stills, will be presented to the committee per artist.

• An identification sheet must accompany documentation. This sheet should include title, year, medium, dimensions

• A professional resume (do not staple or double side resume.)

• An addressed and stamped envelope of ample size for return of documentation.  Material that is not accompanied by a stamped envelope cannot be returned.
  

The Utah Arts Council will not be responsible for applications lost in transit.  While all reasonable care will be taken in the handling of materials, neither the Utah Arts Council nor the Utah Department of Health Unified Lab Art Selection Committee will be liable for late, lost or damaged materials.  We strongly suggest originals or one-of-a-kind material not be submitted for this preliminary phase.  Faxed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted.

The Utah Department of Health Unified Lab Art Selection Committee reserves the right to withhold the award of a commission or re-release the call for entries should it be determined that the proposals submitted are unacceptable.

DEADLINE

Complete application packages must be RECEIVED on or before May 5, 2008 by 5 p.m. (THIS IS NOT A POSTMARK DEADLINE.) All supporting materials must accompany application.

Please send, deliver or courier applications to:

Jim Glenn, Utah Public Art Program
Attention: Unified State Lab Project
Utah Arts Council
617 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84102

SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The Selection Committee will review all material properly submitted. A short list of semi-finalists will then be selected and invited to interview and submit a proposal and maquette to the committee.  An honorarium will be extended to the finalists with the amount determined by the number of finalists selected. This honorarium will be applied toward the commission amount for the artist(s) awarded the commission. Final selection(s) will be made from the semi-finalists. The schedule follows:

            May 5, 2008         Deadline for receipt of preliminary material

            May 23. 2008      Committee reviews material

            July 14, 2008       Finalists proposal presentation and commission awarded

            July 2009              Building occupation

ARTIST SELECTION COMMITTEE

If you have any questions contact:  Jim Glenn at 801-533-3585 or e-mail at: jglenn@utah.gov

or Fletcher Booth at 801-533-3586 or e-mail at: fbooth@utah.gov

All plans and renderings courtesy Smith Group and VCBO Architecture

Please note the Utah Arts Council maintains an Artist Image Bank of resident Utah artists working in all media that are interested in Public Art Projects. If you are interested in being included in this bank the form can be downloaded from http://arts.utah.gov/publicart/slidebank.html  or call, write, or e-mail us to for more information or to request a registration form be mailed to you.