Artistic Commission on Façade, Karolinska University Hospital Solna

Stockholm County Council invites professional artists to apply for an artistic commission on the façade of the N Building, the old Thorax-building (thoracic), Karolinska University Hospital, Solna. The building is located in a dense street environment surrounded by several hospital buildings and other building-integrated art. The artistic commission should interact with the surrounding environment and the existing artistic commissions. A new artistic commission on the site continues a tradition of art at Karolinska University Hospital, Solna.

Site Conditions

The original sections of the building were designed by architect G. Birch Lindgren and erected at the end of the 1950s. The building has been rebuilt and extended several times and after this reconstruction it will be completely joined onto the new-built sections of New Karolinska Solna University Hospital (NKS) by several intercommunicating passages. The building is located in a dense street environment surrounded by several hospital buildings and other building-integrated art, most of which was installed recently as part of the NKS project. The existing building-integrated art inside the building was mainly installed in the 1990s. On the façade next to the building’s main entrance, in a northerly direction, there is building-integrated art, which was also installed in the late 1990s. The part of the façade which is the object of this artistic commission is in a north-westerly and south-westerly direction. The artwork shall be mounted onto the façade and around a corner of the building facing the street of Framstegsgatan. The approximate dimensions for the artistic commission are: a width of approx. 13,5 metres and a height of approx. 6,5 metres on the façade in a north-westerly direction, and a width of 6,5 metres and a height if 6,5 metres on the façade in a south-westerly direction. The artwork shall be mounted onto the façade, and extend along the façade and be relatively shallow and must not have a weight that exceeds 60 kg per square meters.

The material of the outer surface of the building is red brick, with some sections clad in black plating and other sections in painted concrete, etc. The façades of the surrounding buildings are composed of glass, tiling, etc. The dense surrounding environment is characterised by a variation of architectural expressions.

The Artistic Commission

Karolinska University Hospital Solna comprises several buildings of which New Karolinska Solna University Hospital (NKS) is the latest addition.
 
The current building, which is called the “N Building”, is being rebuilt to accommodate new care activities and is planned to be completed in the summer of 2019. The building is located on the north side of NKS and surrounded by several hospital buildings and other building-integrated art. Artistic commissions are an important part of the investment. Artistic expressions will provide the hospital environment with a human dimension.

Stockholm County Council invites professional artists to apply for an artistic commission for the façade of the N Building, New Karolinska Solna University Hospital. The artistic commission should harmonise with the surrounding environment and the existing artistic commissions.

The artistic commission should be mounted on the façade and be relatively shallow. Its placement does not form part of the building’s entrance, so, consequently, the artwork must not indicate this. Suitable techniques and materials include photography, metal and signage.

Budget

The fee for the sketch assignment is 40,000 SEK excluding VAT.

The execution of the artistic commission is budgeted at 500,000 SEK excluding VAT.

The budget must cover all costs connected to the production of the artwork, such as the artist’s fee, copyright costs, material costs, subcontractors/assistants, travel, transportation, insurance and storage until the time of installation. The artist must provide an environmental checklist and a maintenance description, as well as operating and maintenance instructions.

Costs connected with the technical coordination, mounting and installation of the artwork are covered by a separate budget.

Timetable

2018-05-01 at 24:00 hours. Application deadline.

2018, week 23. Decision on which artist(s) will be invited to submit a sketch assignment.

2018-06-15. Scheduled initial meeting for the sketch assignments.

2018-09-05. Proposal submission.

2018, week 40. Decision on which sketch proposal will be executed.

Production of artwork according to the timetable of the project.

April 2019. Mounting/installation of the artwork.

Who can apply?

• To be eligible for an artistic commission for Stockholm County Council you must fulfil the following requirements:
• You must be a professional artist.
• When the commission is awarded you must be registered for Swedish F-tax (as a sole trader or company). A copy of certificate from the relevant tax authority must be provided on request.

Additional requirements:

• The artwork must take into consideration the specific characteristics and operational conditions of the healthcare environment.
• You should be able to provide solutions for the operation and maintenance of the artwork and ensure that a sufficiently high level of durability is achieved.
• Environmental concerns will be taken into consideration in the selection of materials and production methods.

Notification of Proposal Submission

The decision on which artists will be invited to submit a proposal will be made by the Director of the Art Department, delegated by the Culture Committee, and will be published on the Cultural Administration’s website www.kultur.sll.se in June 2018. The artists invited to submit a proposal will be notified by telephone or email.

Questions

Questions concerning the application or the project should be submitted in writing by e-mail to the project manager no later than 2018-04-26 to allow for replies before the application deadline. For questions relating to the application form, please contact info.kultur@sll.se

Commissioning Agency

Stockholm County Council is the commissioning agency and will be party to the agreements with the artists. The Stockholm County Council Culture Administration will manage the art project, including the application and selection processes.