New designs revealed for Obama Presidential Center

by sadia_badhon | October 30, 2019 2:58 pm

New renderings have been revealed for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Image courtesy the Obama Foundation[1]
New renderings have been revealed for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Image courtesy the Obama Foundation

The Obama Foundation[2] 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.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Opener-20.jpg
  2. Obama Foundation: https://www.obama.org/

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/new-designs-revealed-for-obama-presidential-center/