Barack Obama reveals revised plans for Presidential Center
POSTED 11 Jan 2018 . BY Tom Anstey
Designs show more trees in Jackson Park and a sleeker design for the main building Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
While this centre may have my name on it, it will be a place open to everybody dedicated to informing and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow – Barack Obama
Former US president Barack Obama has provided an update on his Presidential Center, promising to “create a campus for active citizenship in the heart of Chicago’s South Side”.
The design, which was unveiled in May last year, has been created by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in partnership with Interactive Design Architects (IDEA).
According to Obama and his wife, Michelle, the US$350m (€293m, £259.5m) Presidential Center – which is now taller and sleeker in appearance – will act as part of a living, working campus.
“While this centre may have my name on it, it will be a place open to everybody dedicated to informing and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow,” said Obama.
“Michelle and I want this to be more than just a building. We want to create an economic engine for Chicago – a cultural attraction that showcases the southside to the rest of the world.
"We want it to be a gathering place – somewhere for all kinds of people to come together and learn.”
The centre’s campus – which sits on the banks of Lake Michigan – is intended to “energise” the Jackson Park site, with a proposed promenade running along the site’s east side, leading to the Museum Building and the Museum of Science Industry.
The Museum Building is designed to become a landmark for the South Side.
“We want this to be a place that helps all of us to build our collective futures,” said Obama. “This centre, most importantly, is for the leaders of tomorrow.
"We want this place to inspire them, to lift them up, to give them the tools they need to succeed.”
After submitting plans to the city of Chicago yesterday (10 January), ground is expected to be broken on the project later this year, with its doors officially opening in 2021.
The centre is expected to draw upward of 760,000 visitors a year, generating US$3.1bn (€2.6bn, £2.3bn) for the local economy in its first 10 years.
The Presidential Center will act as part of a living, working campus Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
The park is envisaged as 'a campus for all seasons' Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
The park will play a role in inspiring the 'leaders of tomorrow', says Obama Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
PROJECT PROFILE: Barack Obama's Presidential Library Barack Obama’s US$500m (€419.5m, £329m) presidential library – a repository for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every President of the United States since Herbert Hoover in 1929.
Location: United States
Britain's minister for arts, Michael Ellis, has launched a £20m fund for culture, heritage
and the creative industries to benefit towns and cities across England.
Diversity was among the topics up for discussion at this year's MuseumNext conference in
London, with Shaz Hussain, assistant curator at the London Science Museum, telling
delegates not "deflect responsibility" on the issue.
National Geographic has teamed up with augmented reality provider Aryzon to create the
world's first open air planetarium, using AR to project images into the night sky for a
unique stargazing experience.
Barack Obama reveals revised plans for Presidential Center
POSTED 11 Jan 2018 . BY Tom Anstey
Designs show more trees in Jackson Park and a sleeker design for the main building Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
While this centre may have my name on it, it will be a place open to everybody dedicated to informing and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow – Barack Obama
Former US president Barack Obama has provided an update on his Presidential Center, promising to “create a campus for active citizenship in the heart of Chicago’s South Side”.
The design, which was unveiled in May last year, has been created by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in partnership with Interactive Design Architects (IDEA).
According to Obama and his wife, Michelle, the US$350m (€293m, £259.5m) Presidential Center – which is now taller and sleeker in appearance – will act as part of a living, working campus.
“While this centre may have my name on it, it will be a place open to everybody dedicated to informing and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow,” said Obama.
“Michelle and I want this to be more than just a building. We want to create an economic engine for Chicago – a cultural attraction that showcases the southside to the rest of the world.
"We want it to be a gathering place – somewhere for all kinds of people to come together and learn.”
The centre’s campus – which sits on the banks of Lake Michigan – is intended to “energise” the Jackson Park site, with a proposed promenade running along the site’s east side, leading to the Museum Building and the Museum of Science Industry.
The Museum Building is designed to become a landmark for the South Side.
“We want this to be a place that helps all of us to build our collective futures,” said Obama. “This centre, most importantly, is for the leaders of tomorrow.
"We want this place to inspire them, to lift them up, to give them the tools they need to succeed.”
After submitting plans to the city of Chicago yesterday (10 January), ground is expected to be broken on the project later this year, with its doors officially opening in 2021.
The centre is expected to draw upward of 760,000 visitors a year, generating US$3.1bn (€2.6bn, £2.3bn) for the local economy in its first 10 years.
The Presidential Center will act as part of a living, working campus Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
The park is envisaged as 'a campus for all seasons' Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
The park will play a role in inspiring the 'leaders of tomorrow', says Obama Credit: The Obama Presidential Center
PROJECT PROFILE: Barack Obama's Presidential Library Barack Obama’s US$500m (€419.5m, £329m) presidential library – a repository for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every President of the United States since Herbert Hoover in 1929.
Location: United States
Britain's minister for arts, Michael Ellis, has launched a £20m fund for culture, heritage
and the creative industries to benefit towns and cities across England.
Diversity was among the topics up for discussion at this year's MuseumNext conference in
London, with Shaz Hussain, assistant curator at the London Science Museum, telling
delegates not "deflect responsibility" on the issue.
National Geographic has teamed up with augmented reality provider Aryzon to create the
world's first open air planetarium, using AR to project images into the night sky for a
unique stargazing experience.
