Request for Qualifications- New Orleans Botanical Garden Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden Revitalization
Company
New Orleans Botanical Garden- City Park Conservancy
Location
New Orleans, Louisiana
Print Job Details
Employment Type
Job (Seasonal Part-Time)Job Categories
Operations & Facilities
Job Description
City Park Conservancy (“CPC”) is requesting qualifications for professional design services to
prepare conceptual and schematic design for the revitalization of the Yakumo Nihon Teien
Japanese Garden that respect the intended Japanese Tea Garden design. The purpose of this is
to obtain responses from interested parties as to their qualifications, the scope of services they
would provide and the timeline for which they would perform the identified work. It is intended
that the responses, in conjunction with a follow-up interview, will provide adequate guidance
for CPC to select a firm (or design team) to perform the services described.
About Us
CPC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that manages the daily operations of New Orleans
City Park, a 1,300-acre public park with a 170-year history serving the citizens and visitors of
New Orleans.The Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden is nestled in the heart of the New
Orleans Botanical Garden. The Japanese Garden provides not only beauty and enjoyment for
all visitors but also serves as a natural setting for other Japanese arts such as bonsai, ikebana,
and sado (tea ceremony). The Japanese Garden provides increased awareness and appreciation
of Japanese culture, aesthetics, and love of nature among all people in the New Orleans area.
The Garden is named after Lafcadio Hearn/Koizumi Yakumo, an exceptional writer who lived in
both Matsue and New Orleans.
Duties & Responsibilities
Scope of Work
The firm (or design team) will be required to develop conceptual and schematic design for the
Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden. All proposed plans must include the following:
1. Maintain the Tea Garden design intention to include the following: A Tea Garden is
defined as any small area that either surrounds a dedicated building used for the tea
ceremony or is overlooked by a room in which the tea ceremony is performed.
Reference material can be found here.
2. Generate creative, strong design solutions that meet the project objectives (ADA
accessibility, Japanese Tea Garden design elements, etc).
a. ADA accessibility including but not limited to the following:
i. ensure full ADA compliance along ramps and platforms within the
Japanese Garden.
ii. Pathways should be at least 36” wide for wheelchair access and should
not slope more than 1:20
iii. Turning spaces should be 60” in diameter to allow wheelchairs to turn
easily
iv. Include landings every 750mm of vertical climb for safety
b. Materials: Choose materials for firm, stable, and slip-resistant surface; recycled
plastic decking or equivalent preferred.
c. Japanese Tea Garden Design Elements:
i. Minimalistic, meticulous, absent of pond and rock configurations
ii. Plants consist of shades of green and brown and discourage the use of
exotic or flowering plants. A few colors are allowed through autumn
leaves and spring buds. Ground cover is restricted to mosses and grasses.
iii. Trees and shrubs are never pruned or shaped, but merely thinned. Lower
branches may be lopped to reveal spidery trunks and inner branches.
iv. Some plant options include:
1. Maples (Acer palmatum)
2. Red Oaks & Ring Cupped Oaks (Q. acauta & Q. gualca)
3. Weeping Willows (Salix babylonica)
4. Japanese Bead Trees (Melia azedarach)
5. Red & Black Pines (P. densiflora & P. thunbergii)
6. Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)
7. Japanese Yews (Podocarpus macrophyllus)
8. Cryptomerias (Cryptomeria japonica)
9. Japanese Camellias (C. japonica & C. sasanqua)
10. Japanese Aralias (Fatsia japonica)
11. Judas Trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)
12. Japanese Firs (Abies firma)
13. Bamboos (P. nigra & P. edulis)
14. Japanese Apricots (Prunus mume)
3. Clearly articulate proposed enhanced designs (through drawings, narratives, etc.)
IV. Firm (or design team) Responsibilities:
This list reflects the minimum requirements of the firm (or design team) work responsibilities.
Please review, expand and adjust where necessary for your proposal.
1. Review project sites and background information
2. Gather additional information for possible design solutions
3. Hold a design charette with key staff
4. Prepare conceptual and schematic plans for the project
5. Present the conceptual and schematic design for review
6. Prepare a final conceptual and schematic design package based on client feedback
Education and Experience
V. Submission Requirements
Proposers must submit a complete Proposal that includes, at minimum, the following:
1. Signed acknowledgment of this Invitation
Approach to project:
1. Provide a description of your approach to the design process as it relates to your review
of the project sites. Give a brief overview of your company and highlight your
background as it relates to this type of project. Clearly identify the project deliverables
and your timeline for completion.
Qualifications:
Submit a proposal that includes the qualifications as follows:
1. Qualifications for services outlined in your proposal to complete all the work identified
in our scope of services, including any outside consultant qualifications.
2. Identify any tasks or services that require qualifications that could be enlisted for the
project.
References & Experience:
Provide a list of three projects completed within the last five years on which you have provided
similar services. Preference should be given to projects of similar scope and size. For each
project, include project name and address, your firm’s role, year completed, contact person
(name, position, phone and e-mail). Provide images of work completed by your firm applicable
to this project that demonstrates your company’s design, aesthetic and proficiency.
Additional Information
VI. Timeline
• Solicitation Release: Monday, March 23
rd
• Pre-submittal Conference: Monday, April 6th
• Deadline for Questions: Monday, April 20th
• Responses to Questions Sent By: Friday, April 24th
• Submission Deadline: Monday, April 27th
• Interviews for Qualifying Firms: April 27
th
– May 1st
• Anticipated Award Date: Monday, May 4th
Application Instructions
VII. Administrative Information
Pre-Proposal Site Visit: CPC will host a pre-proposal general information and site visit meeting
on X date to allow all selected firms (or design teams) the opportunity to view the proposed
project site and ask questions. Key staff members will be present to assist with reviewing the
site and provide background information. The meeting will be held at 10AM at the New
Orleans Botanical Garden.
Receipt of Proposals: All responses are due by 5:00pm, X date, and should be sent via email to
Courtney Charbonnet, Manager of Purchasing and Contract Services, at
ccharbonnet@nocp.org
Submission Options:
• Email: ccharbonnet@nocp.org
• Hand Delivery: Sealed envelope to be delivered to the City Park Administration
Building, 1 Palm Drive, New Orleans Louisiana 70124, labeled with the project name,
name of bidder and address.
Responding to this Invitation does not guarantee a contract. CPC reserves the right to award a
contract at its sole discretion and also reserves the right to award contracts to multiple
vendors. All terms in this Invitation become binding on the selected firm (or design team).
Owner Rights: CPC reserves the right to accept or reject either in whole or part, all submittals
in response to this request, with or without cause, as is determined to be in the best interest of
CPC.
1. CPC reserves the right to contact any references or clients listed in the documents for
information on evaluating the firm’s (or design team’s) performance on previous
projects.
2. All materials submitted for this request become property of CPC and will only be
returned at CPC’s option, upon request.
3. CPC is not responsible for costs incurred by the firm (or design team) prior to issuance
of a written agreement.
Acceptance of Proposal Content:The contents of the successful proposal may become the
basis for a contract with the firm (or design team). Failure of the chosen firm (or design team)
to accept these obligations in contract with the firm (or design team). Failure of the firm (or
design team) to accept these obligations in contract or a similar instrument may result in
cancellation of the award and removal of future proposal solicitations.
Contract Productions: All products produced in response to the contract resulting from this
proposal will be the sole property of CPC. This includes any original and reproducible drawings
prepared for the project.
April 27, 2026
