Obama Foundation alters plans in response to community feedback

In 2015, The Obama Foundation launched a request for qualifications as the first stage in a process to identify design services for the Obama Presidential Centre, a foundation containing a library and museum planned for the South Side of Chicago. Tod Williams and Billie Tsien won the resulting bid in collaboration with Chicago-based Interactive Design Architects (IDEA). When the designs were revealed in May 2017, the architects released a statement, saying: “The design approach for the Center is guided by the goal of creating a true community asset that seeks to inspire and empower the public to take on the greatest challenges of our time. The Obamas were clear that they wanted the Center to seamlessly integrate into the Park and the community, and include diverse public spaces.”

However, the Foundation's scheme has proved controversial, with 100 professors and faculty members from the University of Chicago writing an open letter questioning the Centre’s economic benefit and for using up 20 acres of public space at Jackson Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Senior and Calvert Vaux, creator of New York’s Central Park.

After numerous consultations with residents and stakeholders, revised designs have now been revealed. They include the relocation of parking to an underground facility and the lessening of museum building’s footprint, with an increase in height to compensate. In a video for the foundation, President Obama emphasised the importance of community feedback, stating, “This input has shaped the design, it’s challenged us, and it’s made our design better. It will help us to keep refining the design details, and we’ll continue to ask for help, ideas, and feedback along the way.”

A public meeting will soon be announced to receive feedback on the applications, with the Foundation expected go before the Chicago Plan Commission this Spring.

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Research Specialist & Editor

This competition was first published by TenderStream on 27.08.2015. See the original brief here

Start your one week free trial here or contact our team for further information: customerservices@tenderstream.com