flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects selected to design Obama Presidential Center in Chicago

Cultural Facilities

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects selected to design Obama Presidential Center in Chicago

With experience designing cultural and academic facilities, Williams and Tsien got the nod over other search finalists like Renzo Piano, SHoP, and Adjaye Associates.


By BD+C Editors | June 30, 2016

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Photo: Public.Resource.Org/Creative Commons.

New York City architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien will design the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune reports that President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama chose the husband-and-wife design duo over six other prestigious firms.

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects has a number of cultural and academic projects in its portfolio, including the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and the Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. Williams and Tsien became architectural partners in 1986. And as the Tribune reports, President Obama awarded them a National Medal of Arts in 2013.

The Barack Obama Foundation began its search for an architect last August, and the field of 140 architects was whittled down to seven finalists in December. The other finalists were Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SHoP Architects, Snohetta, Adjaye Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and John Ronan Architects.

The center, which is expected to cost more than $500 million, will be built in either Washington Park or Jackson Park in Chicago. It will have presidential archives, a museum dedicated to Obama’s tenure, and other digital exhibits and features.

The Tribune reports that hundreds of millions of dollars still need to be raised, and that construction isn’t scheduled to begin until after January 2017. The center should be completed by 2021.

Related Stories

Cultural Facilities | May 4, 2016

World’s largest cultural center planned for Dubai

The Opera District will have a 2,000-seat theater and three residential complexes.  

Cultural Facilities | Apr 28, 2016

Studio Dror designs geodesic dome to pair with the Montreal Biosphère

The aluminum dome, which honors the 50th anniversary of Expo 67, can host events year-round.

Cultural Facilities | Apr 25, 2016

Two milestones recognized as Diamond Schmitt designs upgrades to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa

Renovations, including a new tower, stage, and lounge, will be completed in 2017, the year of Canada’s 150th and the center’s 50th birthday.  

Cultural Facilities | Apr 12, 2016

Studio Libeskind designs angular Kurdish museum rich with symbolism

The museum consists of four geometric volumes separated by somber and uplifting divisions.

Performing Arts Centers | Apr 1, 2016

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture’s The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare to begin construction this spring at Navy Pier

Among the unique design features is a movable set of structural audience “towers” that allows for directors and designers to create a space that works best for their specific performances.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 31, 2016

An extreme sports tower for climbing and BASE jumping is proposed for Dubai’s waterfront

The design incorporates Everest-like base camps for different skill levels.

Cultural Facilities | Mar 21, 2016

PAB Architects designs marketplace to centralize Senegal street vending

The Senegal City Market project consists of groups of store modules and is expected to expand to 13 cities.

Cultural Facilities | Mar 15, 2016

OMA’s first UAE project transforms warehouses into multi-purpose art district venue

Moveable walls will provide different spatial configurations for events and gatherings, and large glass doors will blur indoors and outdoors.

Cultural Facilities | Mar 8, 2016

The sexy side of universal design

What would it look like if achieving universal accessibility was an inspiring point of departure for a project's design process? Sasaki's Gina Ford focuses on Marina Plaza and the Cove, two key features of her firm's Chicago Riverwalk development.

Museums | Mar 3, 2016

How museums engage visitors in a digital age

Digital technologies are opening up new dimensions of the museum experience and turning passive audiences into active content generators, as Gensler's Marina Bianchi examines.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.


Museums

Connecticut’s Bruce Museum more than doubles its size with a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition

In Greenwich, Conn., the Bruce Museum, a multidisciplinary institution highlighting art, science, and history, has undergone a campus revitalization and expansion that more than doubles the museum’s size. Designed by EskewDumezRipple and built by Turner Construction, the project includes a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition as well as a comprehensive renovation of the 32,500-sf museum, which was originally built as a private home in the mid-19th century and expanded in the early 1990s. 



Cultural Facilities

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021