Request for Proposals: Pre-Design Services for Museum Facility Upgrades
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is soliciting proposals from qualified Utah based firms/individuals to perform Pre-Design services for the following project—Utah Museum of Contemporary Art Facility Upgrades.
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Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has served the community since its founding in 1931. UMOCA moved its program to the current building site after completion in 1979. Since then, the physical site has largely remained unchanged, save some facilities upgrades that have sought to address persistent visibility and flow issues. These include adjustments to the entrance; movement of the staircase; blacking out of the windows at the plaza level; adding neon lights and glass enclosure; and the addition of a large brick structure on which the current signage is positioned. Despite these adjustments, interior wayfinding remains complicated and confusing (based upon recent target audience feedback) and the exterior remains nearly invisible despite the significance and importance of the location as a major corridor in the state.
While UMOCA has had minor exterior changes, the surrounding facilities have increased in height and prominence (the Salt Palace in 1996-2005, City Creek Center in 2001, Promontory Tower in 2011, and the recently built Hyatt Regency in 2022) obscuring visibility of the UMOCA site. Additionally, the design of an arts complex envisioned in 1979 has served to make the individual voice of the organization invisible as it sits nearly underground among its shared beige brick neighbors.