The Arkın İskele Hotel Call for Design Proposals to Create “Adventure Mountain” Playground

The Arkın İskele Hotel Call for Design Proposals to Create “Adventure Mountain” Playground

The Arkın İskele Hotel invites proposals for a Design Competition to create an “Adventure Mountain” playground for children.

Call for Proposals

The open call invites applications from creatives who are passionate about generating innovative and interactive environments for children with upcycled materials. Applicants will be asked to utilise 17 large-scale wooden cable reels/wheels to create a safe and sustainable Adventure Mountain Playground for children.

Applications are open to the public. A special award under the category of “ARUCAD Concept Design Prize” will be rewarded to a one Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) students enrolled in any faculty and/or Alumni.

Proposals will be reviewed with the support of a committee comprised of experts from the arts, design, and hospitality industries.

Awards:

The deciding committee will award one Grand Prize for overall outstanding achievement, one ARUCAD Concept Design Prize Winner and two finalist prizes which will be determined during the jury process. The Grand Prize Winner will earn the opportunity to have their project implemented in a designated area within the premises of The Arkin İskele Hotel. The full reward packages based on distinguished categories are as follows:

The Grand Prize Winner

A cash reward prize of 40,000 TL.
Financing for the project’s development and implementation.
Comprehensive media coverage, including national and international media coverage, advertising, and social media marketing.
Opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and participation in networking events.
Visibility of the designer/ team for their professional profile on the ARUCAD and The Arkın İskele Hotel media platforms.
Selected designs will be featured in an exhibition held at a venue TBC.

ARUCAD Concept Design Prize Winner will be rewarded under the conditions that the applicant(s) is/are currently enrolled in any faculty at, and/or an Alumni of, the Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD). This special category will receive the following reward package:

A cash reward prize of 20,000 TL.
Media coverage, advertising, and social media marketing on the ARUCAD and The Arkın İskele Hotel media platforms.
Opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and participation in networking events.
Visibility of the designer/ team for their professional profile on the ARUCAD and The Arkın İskele Hotel media platforms.
Selected designs will feature in an exhibition held at a venue TBC.

Finalist Prize Winners

Honourable Mentions in media coverage, advertising, and social media marketing on the ARUCAD and The Arkın İskele Hotel media platforms.
Selected designs will feature in an exhibition held at a venue TBC.

About The Arkın İskele and Creating Opportunities for Professionals, ARUCAD Students and Alumni

The Arkın İskele is a five-star ultra-luxury hotel located in the southeast coastal area of Northern Cyprus, along the way to the Karpas Peninsula area. Opened in 2022 as the latest addition to the Arkin Group family, The Arkın İskele is a speciality hotel that combines art and hospitality and is the first “art hotel” dedicated to representing excellence. With just under four hundred rooms, including a range of family rooms, resident suits, and king suits, as well as rooms for guests with disabilities, The Arkın İskele hosts visitors and guests with families of all age groups with a versatile range of entertainment venues and facilities.

The Arkın İskele will expand its outdoor facilities, creating an additional playground area specially designed for entertaining children under the theme of “Adventure Mountain”.

The Arkın İskele aims to create cross-disciplinary collaborations between professional practitioners, ARUCAD students and Alumni with the hospitality sector to develop innovative and interactive environments and products that incorporate ready-made, upcycled materials that create unique services that cater to different age groups. The Arkin Group and The Arkın İskele alike value supporting professionals, training artists and designers as well as early career graduates who can propose progressive concepts that creatively integrate forward-thinking techniques and sustainability.

Registration Form

Registration is required for participation. Registered applicants will receive email updates and are required to give their contact information. Please complete the registration form by clicking the following link:

https://forms.gle/SdwruzSVBqbTyDv98

Entry fees

There is no entry fee to participate.

Submission Check List:

Registration Form
Concept Note: up to 250 words describing the proposed design.
Design visuals

Eligibility

Open to creative individuals and/teams aged 18 or above by date of application.
All applications must be completed in English or Turkish.
To be considered for the ARUCAD Concept Design Prize, applicants must be students currently enrolled in or a graduate of the Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD).
The application comprises 3 parts: Registration Form, Concept Note and Design Visuals (including high-quality scans of drawings, sketches, and digital renders (up to 7 images max. 300 dpi)).
Concept Notes and Design Visuals must not be watermarked, and therefore not include any personal information embedded in the image/text. These materials will be blind reviewed by the deciding committee.
Applicants must be available for the duration of the implementation period to help oversee the production of the project.
By submitting a proposal, you are granting permission to The Arkın İskele and The Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design to use photographs and/or video of the participant(s) as well as the work submitted produced from here onwards as well as during the implementation of the project in publications, news releases, online, and in other communications.

Technical Details and Requirements

Applicants are required to design a playground for children for the designated area, under the theme of “Adventure Mountain”. The total ground of the site is 350 m2. See Annex 1 for site plan and aerial view of the designated grounds.

The playground will be designed to use up to 17 large-scale wooden cable reels/wheels to create a safe and sustainable interactive environment. See Annex 2 for the dimensions and technical drawing of wooden cable reels.

Applicants are required to study the designated area closely and consider the physical and cognitive ergonomics for defined age groups 5-8 and 9-12, as well as the safety measures for the needs and activities of play area. For more details, see Evaluation Criteria below.

Evaluation Criteria

Concept Innovation

Applicants are asked to utilise 17 large-scale (see Annex 2 for the dimensions) wooden cable reels/wheels to create a safe and sustainable Adventure Mountain Playground for children between the ages 5-12.

Site Specificity

The design must be tailored to the site specifications given in the technical details above. The entries will be evaluated on the basis of how they effectively use the given site in a sustainable and accessible way.

Spatial Design

The entries will be judged on the basis of creativity displayed in the spatial design and configuration of spaces.

Functional Versatility

The efficiency and functionality of the playground will be evaluated based on the level of respect to the entire complex. A special consideration will be given to the versatility of the design based on the level of accessibility for children of all abilities.

Age-appropriate zones

Design needs to consider the arrangement of activities segmented to be suitable and engaging for the specific age ranges of 5-8 and 9-12-year-olds.

Safety

Design must ensure that materials are child-friendly and meet safety standards.

Signage

Design must include indication of rules and guidelines for children and parents.

Ergonomic Rest Zones for Children

Design needs to ensure that spaces are provided for children to rest and take breaks.

Parent/Guardian Zones

Designs must include seating areas for parents to watch over their children.

Review Process

Applicants will be judged on works submitted via Registration Form. All applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of experts from the arts, design and hospitality industries. All applications must include all parts required including 1) Registration Form, 2) Concept Note, 3) Design Visuals.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a 3-D Model of their designs (1/10 scale).

Any proposals that do not comply with the deadlines and the above requirements will not be considered.

Schedule for Implementation

The application deadline has been extended due to high demand: April 15, 2024.

Important Dates for Applicants:

Submission of Registration, Concept Note, & Design Visuals – Proposal Deadline April 15, 2024

Contact

Please contact Özge Atasoy <<<ozge.atasoy@arucad.edu.tr>> for any questions or inquiries.