University of Chicago releases proposed sites for Obama library bid

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

Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) announces that James Zheng, AIA, LEED AP, has been named CEO, and Paul De Santis, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, joins James Goettsch, FAIA, as co-design directors for the practice. As the primary partners in the firm, the three have worked closely together for more than 17 years. Goettsch will also continue to serve as chairman while Zheng now assumes the full CEO title as well as president.

| Aug 12, 2022

Monthly Construction Input Prices Decreased 2% in July, Up 17% From a Year Ago, Says ABC

Construction input prices decreased 1.8% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today.

Hotel Facilities | Aug 12, 2022

Denver builds the nation’s first carbon-positive hotel

Touted as the nation’s first carbon-positive hotel, Populus recently broke ground in downtown Denver.

| Aug 11, 2022

Report examines supposed conflict between good design and effective cost management

A report by the American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America takes a look at the supposed conflict between good design and effective cost management, and why it causes friction between architects and contractors.

Expanding Through Diversification, with Bill Mandara of Mancini Duffy - HorizonTV

Architects | Aug 11, 2022

Mancini Duffy Bill Mandara on expanding through diversification

In this segment for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Mancini Duffy's CEO and Co-owner William Mandara about his firm's recent growth, which includes an acquisition and new HQs office.

Energy Efficiency | Aug 11, 2022

Commercial Energy Efficiency: Finally “In-the-Money!”

By now, many business leaders are out in front of policymakers on prioritizing the energy transition.

High-rise Construction | Aug 11, 2022

Saudi Arabia unveils plans for a one-building city stretching over 100 miles long

Saudi Arabia recently announced plans for an ambitious urban project called The Line—a one-building city in the desert that will stretch 170 kilometers (106 miles) long and only 200 meters (656 feet) wide.

| Aug 10, 2022

U.S. needs more than four million new apartments by 2035

Roughly 4.3 million new apartments will be necessary by 2035 to meet rising demand, according to research from the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association.