Request for Qualifications 2026 Public Safety Building (Project 20-49)

Summary

The City of Mountain View Visual Arts Committee (VAC) seeks to commission one or more artists or artist teams to design and execute public art for one to three locations at the Public Safety Building (Project 20-49) at 1000 Villa Street, Mountain View, CA, at the corner of Villa and Franklin Streets (Figure 1). The new Public Safety Building will serve as the City of Mountain View Police Department and Mountain View Fire Department (public safety departments’) administration headquarters, and will include the emergency communications center and emergency operations center. Applications must be submitted online on www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ) by October 16, 2026, and only the first 100 applications will be accepted. 

NOTE: Please download and review the RFQ document available at the "Site Plan" link on CaFE and online at EconDev.MountainView.Gov/Public-Art for additional figures and conceptual renderings. 

Summary

The City of Mountain View Visual Arts Committee (VAC) seeks to commission one or more artists or artist teams to design and execute public art for one to three locations at the Public Safety Building (Project 20-49) at 1000 Villa Street, Mountain View, CA, at the corner of Villa and Franklin Streets (Figure 1). The new Public Safety Building will serve as the City of Mountain View Police Department and Mountain View Fire Department (public safety departments’) administration headquarters, and will include the emergency communications center and emergency operations center. Applications must be submitted online on www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ) by October 16, 2026, and only the first 100 applications will be accepted.

Artist Eligibility

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to all professional artists/artist teams meeting the following criteria:

• Residency: Must reside in the Western United States (California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming);
• Age: Must be over the age of 18;
• Skill and Experience:
  • Proven experience successfully designing, fabricating, and installing permanent outdoor public art of similar scope, scale, and budget complexity;
  • Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively with City staff, general contractors, landscape architects, and licensed California structural engineers;
  • Understanding of civic site constraints, including ADA/Title 24 accessibility, tamper-proof hardware specifications, and durable, non-sacrificial anti-graffiti finishes;
  • and Documented ability to adhere to rigorous construction timelines, phased milestones, and municipal contract and insurance requirements.

Artists residing in California who meet all the criteria outlined in this RFQ are encouraged to apply.

City of Mountain View Overview

Mountain View is in the heart of Silicon Valley and at the center of the technology industry, covering 12 square miles and home to almost 86,500 residents, many nationally and internationally known corporations, and a thriving small-business base.  Located 10 miles north of San Jose and 35 miles south of San Francisco, the central location provides easy access to the entire San Francisco Bay Area and to cities across Northern California.  Mountain View prides itself on its attractive, well-built residential communities, served by neighborhood parks and playgrounds, recreational facilities, quality education, and convenient shopping.

Over the years, the City has instituted a Public Art Program and built a collection of public art using public/private partnerships, community involvement, and some public funds.  A major component of this program is a City Policy known as the Two Percent for Art Program, which requires that 2% of all major City capital improvement projects over $1 million be spent on public art related to the project.  This program is administered by the VAC, a seven-person, City Council-appointed advisory committee that will recommend public art to the City Council, whose decision is final.

Public Safety Values and Mission

The City of Mountain View public safety teams, the Mountain View Fire Department (MVFD) and Mountain View Police Department (MVPD) (“public safety departments”), both place the City’s organizational values of providing exceptional service, acting with integrity, and treating others with respect at the center of their operations.

Together, the public safety departments are dedicated to delivering exceptional, impartial service that is accessible to all, ensuring every interaction builds mutual confidence and safety. Grounded in a commitment to organizational integrity and high ethical standards, public safety personnel hold themselves to being trustworthy, reliable, and deeply dedicated to doing the right thing, the right way, for the right reason.

Operationally, the public safety departments balance this community-first approach with a progressive, forward-looking vision. MVFD drives this forward by investing heavily in education, training, response, and prevention to minimize the risks of fire and natural disasters, while actively prioritizing environmental protection. Simultaneously, MVPD pairs this proactive philosophy with highly competent, professional police services. By blending innovative best practices with an unyielding sense of duty, Mountain View's public safety departments work seamlessly together to save lives, protect property, and safeguard the local environment.

Site and Project Description

The City of Mountain View is constructing a new City public safety building (“Public Safety Building,” Project 20-49) at 1000 Villa Street to replace the existing administration headquarters of the public safety departments.

Situated on the edge of vibrant Downtown Mountain View, the site is positioned along major transit and pedestrian corridors: adjacent to Shoreline Boulevard, just a few blocks from the Castro Street dining and shopping area, and less than a mile from the Downtown Mountain View Transit Center, a major transit hub.

The new Public Safety Building (Figure 2, project site) will serve as a modern, structurally safe, and resilient civic anchor and operations center for the public safety departments, offering high public visibility and opportunities for public art engagement.

Architectural features for the public-facing areas include:

• Fiber-cement panels (chalk grey, jadeite green, fossil grey) and faux-wood aluminum soffit cladding with windows featuring an integrated oak tree graphic (see Figure 3).
• Repurpose the clock tower mechanism from the original 1980 facility and a historical display panel detailing local public safety history.

Site constraints and technical considerations for public artworks include:

• Materials must withstand weather, UV exposure, and public contact with minimal ongoing city maintenance.
• Installations must not obstruct sightlines for emergency vehicles entering/exiting, impede pedestrian flow, or compromise restricted perimeter access.
• No sharp edges, climbable structures near secured perimeters, or loose components.
• Exterior/lobby sculptures must avoid hollow, unsealed cavities, blind nooks, or crevices where contraband, weapons, or suspicious packages could be hidden or concealed.
• Outdoor sculptures or ground installations must leave a clear, accessible path of travel (typically minimum 48”–60”) to primary public entryways without creating trip hazards or cane-detection violations under the California Building Code (CBC Chapter 11B).

Public Art Project Budget

The total dedicated public art budget for the Public Safety Building is $400,000. Semi-finalists selected to prepare design proposals will receive a $1,000 design stipend upon completion of their design proposal, paid from the dedicated public art budget.

The public art project budget is all-inclusive of project costs, including artists’ fees and expenses, taxes, materials, permit fees, travel, framing, shipping and crating, insurance fees, additional site preparation, footings, equipment rental, fabrication, contractors and subcontractors, and installation of the artwork.

Conceptual Plan and Potential Artwork Locations

There are three opportunities for public art around the Public Safety Building (see Figure 4):

1. Location 1 – Exterior Plaza:  This area includes an activity lawn and paved outdoor entry plaza that will generally be accessible to the public, except for City staff events and trainings. Art locations could be placed within the planting area or hardscape (paver) area and should be assumed to occupy no larger than a 6’ x 6’ footprint (total area is around 1,000 square feet). The exact placement and footprint are flexible, depending on the final art piece, if site constraints are met.
2. Location 2 – Rear Building at Villa/Oak Corner: There are three adjacent wall panels on the exterior building facade where art pieces could be installed (two measuring 6’-6” x 21’-6” and one measuring 13’ x 21’-6”), along with space for a three-dimensional sculpture in the adjacent planting area directly in front of these panels. Artists may apply for the wall panels, ground sculpture, or both. However, if a submission proposes to use all four elements (the three adjacent wall panels plus the ground sculpture), it must be submitted as a single, unified concept by an individual artist or as a collaborative entry by an established artist team.
3. Location 3 – Entry Plaza Bicycle Racks:  The plan incorporates space for three bicycle racks as an opportunity for functional art. The footprint of the area with the bicycle racks is approximately 5’ x 9’.

 The $400,000 project budget can be used for one or more artworks at one or more locations.

Conceptual Themes and Location 1 Memorial

Project Conceptual Themes

The City of Mountain View is commissioning permanent public art that embodies the overarching mission, collaborative spirit, and civic dedication of the public safety departments. Artworks should visually express themes of community resilience, historical legacy, guardianship and partnership, safety, protection, and reciprocal community support.

Because public safety operations are deeply interconnected with the residents they protect, artist submissions must reflect authentic community engagement, proactive service, and the unified partnership between the public safety departments (MVPD and MVFD).

Location 1 (Exterior Plaza): Dedicated Public Safety Memorial

The preferred art installation for Location 1 (Exterior Plaza) is a permanent, high-impact public memorial dedicated to honoring Mountain View public safety personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Core Parameters for the Location 1 Memorial include:

• The memorial must represent the collective service and partnership of both public safety departments rather than separate entities.
• The design must accommodate names/plaques (with the structural components) and have capacity to add names over time).
• The installation will anchor the public entry lawn/plaza, creating a durable, dignified, and contemplative space accessible to families, department members, and the community, but cannot impede functional use of the space for public and private gatherings (e.g. community events, special events, and trainings).

Note on Submittals: This RFQ evaluates only past qualifications. Conceptual sketches, renderings, or specific design solutions are neither requested nor evaluated at this stage. Detailed project design guidelines will be provided to shortlisted artists selected for the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase.

Estimated Schedule (dates subject to change)

The following schedule outlines the anticipated milestones for this selection and commissioning process. All dates are tentative and subject to adjustment by the City.

Selection Process

A review panel will evaluate applications using the following criteria:

• Suitability, originality, and artistic quality and style as demonstrated in past work, along with the overall aesthetic merit of the artist’s creative approach;
• Demonstrated ability to execute work that withstands outdoor public conditions, uses durable materials, and requires minimal long-term maintenance;
• Proven track record successfully managing permanent public art commissions of similar scale, scope, and budget, including experience collaborating with municipal teams, contractors, and the public process.

The selection panel will consist of members of a project-specific Visual Arts Committee ad hoc subcommittee, a community representative, past and current public safety department representatives, public art and design professionals, and representatives from the City of Mountain View Public Works Department.

A shortlist of artists will be established by the selection panel, and these artists will be invited to develop a detailed design proposal for consideration as part of a Request for Proposal (RFP). A $1,000 design stipend will be paid to each selected artist (or artist team) upon satisfactory completion of their design proposal. To receive the design stipend and participate in the RFP phase, shortlisted artists will be required to execute the City’s short-form professional services agreement (Attachment 2 – Sample Short-Form Professional Services Agreement for Design Services). Selected artists will be provided with additional drawings and information to aid in their design process.

The final design proposals will be presented to the VAC for review. Artists may be asked to present their design (online or in person; there will be no compensation for travel). The VAC will rank the design proposals, and a recommendation will be made to the City Council for final selection of the public art design/artist.  The City Council may require additional drawings or information for their respective review.  The VAC is willing to work with an artist or artists on the design proposal to ensure suitability and sustainability.  The City and VAC reserve the right to reject any or all proposals.

Application Requirements

This is a Request for Qualifications only. Please do not submit design ideas or proposals at this time. These items will not be included in the selection process until the next phase.

All applications must be submitted electronically via CaFÉ at www.callforentry.org (at no charge for artists). Hard-copy submissions sent by mail, email, fax, or hand-delivery will not be accepted or reviewed. Incomplete or late submittals will be disqualified.

Prepare the following in advance of applying:

• Artist resumé (outlining relevant public art project experience, no more than two (2) pages in length, .pdf preferred)
• Letter of interest and artist statement (one page maximum, .pdf preferred)
• Five (5) to ten (10) images of previous artworks completed within the past five years with annotations.  All artwork images must be examples demonstrating the artist’s ability to create durable artwork suitable for outdoor elements and public settings.
• Online Presence.  If you have a website and/or active social media accounts, please provide links.  If you do not have a website or active social media accounts that show your artwork, write N/A.

When completing the online application on CallforEntry.org (CaFÉ), applicants must indicate their project preferences and confirm compliance with key requirements:

• Location Preference: Indicate interest in Location 1, Location 2, Location 3, or multiple/open.
• RFQ Process (Required: "Yes"): Acknowledge that this is an RFQ only.
• City Contract (Required: "Yes"): Acknowledge willingness to enter into the City’s standard agreement.
• Insurance & Business License (Required: "Yes"): Acknowledge ability to meet City’s insurance requirements and secure a Mountain View business license if selected.
• Permits & Structural Engineering (Required: "Yes"): Acknowledge responsibility for obtaining required building permits, hiring a licensed California structural engineer, and complying with Contractor State License Law for Installation within the artwork budget.

All applicants should allow adequate time to submit their applications.  For additional assistance with CaFÉ, please contact WESTAF by calling 303-629-1166 or emailing cafe@westaf.org.

Artist Eligibility

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to all professional artists/artist teams meeting the following criteria:

• Residency: Must reside in the Western United States (California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming);
• Age: Must be over the age of 18;
• Skill and Experience:
  • Proven experience successfully designing, fabricating, and installing permanent outdoor public art of similar scope, scale, and budget complexity;
  • Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively with City staff, general contractors, landscape architects, and licensed California structural engineers;
  • Understanding of civic site constraints, including ADA/Title 24 accessibility, tamper-proof hardware specifications, and durable, non-sacrificial anti-graffiti finishes;
  • Documented ability to adhere to rigorous construction timelines, phased milestones, and municipal contract and insurance requirements.

Artists residing in California who meet all the criteria outlined in this RFQ are encouraged to apply.