Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Centre Pompidou x Jersey City Museum Signage and Wayfinding Design Services RFP Questions and Answers

Questions Posed During the Site Visit on December 12, 2022:

  1. What is the scope of the project?

See the project description is provided in the RFP.

  1. Will the walkway entrance be the only entrance?

The final location and number of the entrances has not been determined.

  1. What is the general layout of the building?

This information will be provided to consultants once they are selected and onboarded to the project team.

  1. Is the ground floor going to be open or portioned off?

Mostly open but this has not yet been determined.

  1. Is the RFP open?

Yes

  1. Are there any historic preservation requirements?

No.

  1. How old is the building?

The Pathside building was erected in 1912.

  1. Would the contract be with the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency?

Yes.

  1. Has an executive architect been hired?

OMA is the design architect and the executive architect.

  1. How far along is the schematic design?

Schematic Design will conclude in the end of January 2023.

  1. Is the square footage of the building increasing?

Yes. This information is provided in the RFP.

  1. To whom will the proposals be sent?

As outlined in the RFP: Proposals for the Services (the “Proposal”) will be received by the JCRA on January 5, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. prevailing time (the “Submission Date”), addressed to Robert Napiorski (the “Project Representative”) at 4 Jackson Square, Jersey City, New Jersey 07305.

  1. Will the JCRA contract directly with the sub-contractors?

JCRA will contract directly with all project professionals.

  1. How should the RFPs be submitted?

This information is provided in the RFP.

  1. What were the previous uses of the building?

The building, located at 25 Journal Square, was constructed in 1912 originally as a PSE&G (Public Service Electric and Gas Company, provider of gas and electric service) office building. In 1995, the building underwent a major renovation to create new classrooms and a library for Hudson Community College and served as part of the college’s urban campus until 2017.

  1. How long has the building been vacant?

5 years

  1. Are the other Pompidou locations similar in size?

Other Pompidou locations are larger.

  1. Will there be art storage on-site?

No.

  1. What is the role of Paratus on the project?

Owner’s Representative

  1. Will there be a roof deck? – Will it have a function with the museum?

Potentially yes. Yes.

  1. Is the roof part of the landscape scope?

Yes. This information is provided in the RFP.

  1. Would this project be happening without the construction of One Journal Square?

Yes

  1. Who will own the building after construction?

This has not yet been determined.

  1. Will there be a raised floor or drop ceiling on the floors?

These design decisions are currently under consideration.

  1. Would the Pompidou have done this project if One Journal Square was not being constructed?

The Agency cannot provide a response with respect to the factors that impacted the Centre Pompidou decision.

  1. When will a security director be hired?

This has yet been determined.

  1. Is a loading dock part of the scope of the project?

Yes. The loading dock is included in the scope of work.

  1. Is the current roof temporary or permanent?

Temporary.

  1. Will there be an additional structure on the roof?

This has not yet been determined.

  1. Will the basement be part of the museum?

Yes.

  1. Is there any direct access to the basement from the outside?

No.

  1. What type of art will be part of the museum?

Contemporary and modern.

  1. Is the neighboring Port Authority property part of the project?

No but the JCRA will coordinate with the Port Authority on various aspects of this project.

 

 

Questions Submitted Via Email:

  1. Are there Jersey City streetscape standards that need to be allowed or will this be a non-standard streetscape? There are streetscape standards, however, the City is open to exploring alternatives.
  2. Will the existing glass canopy over the alleyway be retained?

The current planning is to retain the existing glass canopy, but a final decision has not yet been made.

  1. What is the anticipated ground floor use of the mixed-use development opposite the alleyway?

Retail and residential lobby.

  1. Is there a life safety occupancy limit for the roof terrace?

Yes.  Currently, the limit is 120 people for the exterior rooftop space.

  1. Can you give examples of specific past signage and wayfinding projects you have seen that your team has found inspiring and relevant to this new project?

The Agency does not have examples.  Amongst OMA’s projects, the Milstein Hall Cornell University in Ithaca, the Casa Musica in Porto, or the Prada Foundation in Milan are good examples. Signage and wayfinding need to be integrated where possible to the architectural vision. OMA appreciates creatively and thoughtfully coordinated graphic design.

  1. How many firms were issued this RFP?

The RFP was posted on the JCRA website, provided to the Jersey City Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and sent to various professionals with expertise in this area.

  1. Which firms were issued this RFP?

See answer to number 6.

  1. Under C. General, 6. The RFP mentions the chosen consultant developing a system for changeable graphics. Is there any thought as to whether this will be digital or analog?

This has not yet been determined.

  1. Under General, 10. The RFP mentions assist and coordinate with AV/digital signage. Is there a separate RFP for digital signage? There is not a separate RFP for digital signage. Would the signage designer, under this contract create the look and feel for the digital signage?
  2. Under H. Construction Administration, 12. The RFP mentions a manual/style guide. Is this a document created solely for this purpose or are the bid documents for the project considered sufficient?

The manual/style guide is created solely for this purpose.

  1. The RFP notes, “The construction budget has not yet been determined.” When do you anticipate having that budget ready? Could you provide a low-high estimate in the interim?

The budget will be finalized in 2023.  The JCRA cannot provide a low-high estimate.

  1. Is funding for the project in-hand, or does it need to be fundraised?

There will not be fundraising for the construction of the project.

  1. Has anything been contemplated yet outside the envelope of the building? (Sidewalk vitrines, banners, etc.) How far might that footprint extend?

This has not been determined.

  1. Is it possible the building will have more than one major entrance?

Yes, but this has not yet been determined.

  1. Is an information desk (e.g. furniture design as well as associated signage) included? Could you provide more insight into when furniture will be specified and whose responsibility this is?

Furniture design, including an information desk, will be developed by the Architect. Associated signage will be developed by the Graphic/Wayfinding Designer. Furniture will likely be specified preliminarily during Design Development by the Architect.

  1. Is back-of-house signage included as part of this scope of work?

Yes.

  1. Are templates for temporary exhibition signage, exhibition title walls, and artwork labels included?

No.

  1. Is digital signage contemplated as part of this scope of work? The RFP mentions it in passing (page 9, section C, #10) as another vendor’s responsibility.

No.

  1. Could you speak more to any programmatic differentiation within the floorplans? Roughly what proportion of the plan is flexible open space across the entire floor (as hinted in some section diagrams online), vs. more specific designated spaces? The RFP mentions the building’s goals as “Public spaces (lobby, ticketing, museum shop, flexible event space, cloakroom); Exhibition spaces; Community & Education spaces (multipurpose space, workshop, classroom); Food Service spaces (café, restaurant); Rooftop terrace; and back-of-house spaces (art handling, storage, security, mechanical, etc.).” Is this a reasonable basis to understand the complexity of the required signage and wayfinding?

The programming has not yet been finalized

  1. Could you provide a high-level construction timeline for the building and for release of Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Document packages from OMA?

Schematic Design will conclude at the end of January 2023.  Design Development is approximately 5 months and Construction Documents is currently 6 months.  Construction is currently estimated to be 18 months.

  1. Is brand identity work (from another vendor) being delivered as an input to the signage design? Is this existing work or new work? If new work, will we be collaborating with that vendor or will branding guidelines be delivered as a finished document? Is there a date for this?

No. Branding/identity work will be developed later in the project.

  1. Further to this question, we noticed that the RFP addendum was retitled “Branding and Wayfinding Services.” Was this intentional, and could you speak to the desired role of branding or visual place making in this engagement, also in relation to the branding of other channels?

Disregard any reference to Branding as it is not part of the scope of this RFP.

  1. Are there other consultants (e.g. strategists) who will be providing deliverables that may be inputs to the project?

Not at this time.

  1. Could you speak more specifically about the client team? What role(s) from Pompidou, OMA, Paratus, and JCRA will be involved in creative approvals? Will we have direct access to those individuals during the engagement?

JCRA, Jersey City, Pompidou, and OMA will be involved in creative approvals. Paratus is the project manager. Yes, direct access to key stakeholders will be provided throughout the design process.

  1. Will we work directly with the fabrication vendor during the engagement, or will communication be proxied through a general contractor or other role / exclusively through RFI’s?

Graphics/Wayfinding Consultants will work with the fabrication vendor as coordinated by a Construction Manager.