New designs revealed for Obama Presidential Center

New renderings have been revealed for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Image courtesy the Obama Foundation
New renderings have been revealed for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Image courtesy the Obama Foundation

The Obama Foundation has revealed new renderings of the future Obama Presidential Center, a museum and public gathering space in Chicago’s South Side.

The campus will add to Jackson Park, bringing new gardens, a larger playground, and scenic paths.

A public plaza at the entry of the campus will serve as a gathering place for live performances and community festivals. The museum building anchors the northern end of the plaza, the forum building wraps its east side, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library frames its southern end.

The garden level offers a series of interactive programs, and also features a retail shop and café. A landscaped courtyard brings natural light and greenery to the center’s public spaces.

The museum building’s design embodies the idea of ascension—of a movement upward from the grassroots. Its form is inspired by the idea of four hands coming together—a recognition that many hands shape a place.

The park will offer play areas and walking paths, all connected by a long pedestrian promenade that runs alongside Jackson Park’s historic lagoons.

The women’s garden preserves the signature circular form and location of the historic sunken lawn with a new enlarged perennial garden, which captures and treats rainwater, encircling the garden.

A 0.4-ha (1-acre) wetland area will capture and treat stormwater and feature a wetland walk that threads through the area and offers a unique environment with seating, a tree canopy, and a place for children to play.

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