Less than a month after the University of Hawaii released designs from world renowned architects for its bid to host the Barack Obama Presidential Library, fellow bidder (and popular contender) University of Chicago has finally released its plans for the library—but without designs of the actual library building itself.
Renderings by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) that accompanied the university’s statement officially released yesterday on UC's website depicted what development in the area would look like if the library were to open there.
“Locating the Barack Obama Presidential Library on Chicago’s South Side offers a rare chance to reinvigorate the economy of nearby communities and make improvements for the area’s infrastructure and parks,” Susan Sher, Senior Adviser to University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer, told UChicago News.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, there are two proposed sites for the plan, both owned by the Chicago Park District in Chicago’s South Side, near the university’s campus in Hyde Park.
The first is 22 acres in Washington Park, extending west to the Garfield Boulevard CTA station by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The second location is 21 acres in Jackson Park, not far from the Museum of Science and Industry.
The university is promising to replace any park land it takes for the project and disclosed some suggestions of where the new green space could be relocated.
For further details about the land acquisition plans, read the Chicago Sun-Times report by Lynn Sweet.
Rendering of what the developed area on Jackson Park would look like. Courtesy SOM
Related Stories
| Mar 26, 2013
Will Google Glass revolutionize the construction process?
An Australian architect is exploring the benefits of augmented reality in the design and construction process.
| Mar 24, 2013
World's tallest data center opens in New York
Sabey Data Center Properties last week celebrated the completion of the first phase of an adaptive reuse project that will transform the 32-story Verizon Building in Manhattan into a data center facility. When the project is completed, it will be the world's tallest data center.
| Mar 22, 2013
8 cool cultural projects in the works
A soaring opera center in Hong Kong and a multi-tower music center in Calgary are among the latest cultural projects.
| Mar 22, 2013
Earn $500 as a DOE proposal reviewer
The DOE'S Building Technologies Office this morning put out a call to the AEC industry for expert reviewers for its new energy-efficiency initiative for small commercial buildings, which make up more than 90% of the commercial building stock.
| Mar 21, 2013
Best Firms to Work For: Enermodal Engineering is green to the core
At Enermodal Engineering, there’s only one kind of building—a sustainable one.
| Mar 21, 2013
Are charter schools killing private schools?
A recent post on Atlantic Cities highlights research by the U.S. Census Bureau's Stephanie Ewert that shows a correlation between the growth of charter schools and the decline in private school enrollment.
| Mar 20, 2013
Folding glass walls revitalize student center
Single-glazed storefronts in the student center at California’s West Valley College were replaced with aluminum-framed, thermally broken windows from NanaWall in a bronze finish that emulates the look of the original building.
| Mar 20, 2013
Architecture Billings Index up again in February
The American Institute of Architects reported the February ABI score was 54.9, up slightly from a mark of 54.2 in January. This score reflects a strong increase in demand for design services.
| Mar 18, 2013
Toyo Ito named 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient
Toyo Ito, a 71 year old architect whose architectural practice is based in Tokyo, Japan, will be the recipient of the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
