The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is building its new administration building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue. The expected LEED Platinum-certified building will be completed in the summer of 2012. The San Francisco Arts Commission has commissioned artist Ned Kahn (Artist) to create an original artwork for the exterior of the building.

The exterior artwork, titled Firefly, will cover the north facade of the building’s wind turbine support tower from the 2nd to the 14th floor. The artwork will consist of a lattice of thousands of 5-inch square, clear-polycarbonate panels hinged to move in the wind. The panels will be attached to stainless steel horizontal supports spaced every 6-inches that will bolt to the tower’s architectural grid work. Each moving panel will have a small neodymium magnet embedded in it. Each magnet will have a corresponding reed switch embedded inside the horizontal support beam. Low voltage electricity will run inside the supports beams. As wind moves the polycarbonate panels back and forth the magnets will trigger the reed switches to open momentarily, lighting up a small yellow-green LED light that translates the motion of the panels into a flash suggestive of a firefly. The appearance of the facade will change with the wind and the sky. During the day the facade will mimic an articulated glass surface rippling in the wind. In the morning and evenings the LED array will create patterns of flickering light. No additional lighting is needed for the artwork.

The artwork components will be fabricated by others under a separate agreement with the City. The Artwork Installer will be responsible for: obtaining as-built dimensions of the installation site; working with the Artist to ensure that all artwork components are compatible with architectural requirements; transportation of artwork components from the Artist’s studio in Sabastapol, CA to the installation site in San Francisco; installation of all artwork components; hiring and supervising of a licensed electrician to install artwork power supplies and run conduit; any adjustments necessary to ensure the functionality and safety of artwork components and the artwork installation as a whole.

The contract shall have an original term of one year.  In addition, the City shall have an option to extend the term for a period of 2 years, which the City may exercise in its sole, absolute discretion.

To view the request for proposals in its entirety please click on the following link: http://mission.sfgov.org/OCABidPublication/BidDetail.aspx?K=4948

Note that a pre-proposal conference is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on January 26, 2012 at the Webcor Office at 180 Redwood Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.

The deadline for proposal submissions is Wednesday, February 15, 2012.