Market/San Pedro Street Parking Garage Facade Enhancement

The City of San José Public Art Program and the City's Department of Transportation are seeking an experienced artist or artist-led team to develop an artwork that addresses the exterior façade of the Market/San Pedro Street Parking Garage in downtown San José. The garage is a prominent facility adjacent to the vibrant San Pedro Square commercial district. The goal is for an enhancement that has a visual presence 24 hours a day as part of San José's Illuminating Downtown program, intended to strengthen neighborhood identity through creative use of illumination.

Key project goals include: enhancing the facility and vibrancy of the area through illumination and other elements; increasing safety, visibility, and encouraging active use of the parking facility at all hours; and engaging residents, business owners and visitors, including participatory aspects of the design process where relevant. The artist or artist team must have experience in the design, programming and operation of energy-efficient lighting effects and systems appropriate to the project's nature and scale. Design that is sustainable and maintainable will be an important consideration.

The Market/San Pedro parking garage is located between St. John Street, Market Street, and North San Pedro Street. The structure features horizontal and diamond-pattern cross bars and a circular car ramp. Approximate measurements of the cross bars are about 400 feet in length along the garage at North San Pedro Street and cover three floors in height or approximately 30 feet. The circular car ramp facing St. John Street is a curved surface roughly 210 feet long and 60 feet high. The total project budget is $600,000 for design, fabrication and installation, allocated as follows: Design (15%, $90,000), Fabrication and Installation (up to 85%, $510,000 with a mandatory 10% contingency held back for a working budget of up to $459,000), and Contingency (up to $51,000). All artist submittals must be through CaFE, the online artist call system.