image by tom rossiter / courtesy of OPL south side

Barack Obama Foundation issues RFP to seven potential architects for the Future Presidential Center. The Barack Obama Foundation issued a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to seven architectural firms, including Renzo Piano,Snøhetta and David Adjaye Diller scofidio + Renfro, one of which will ultimately be selected to design the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) on the South Side of Chicago. 

adjaye associates
diller scofidio + renfro
john ronan architects
renzo piano building workshop
SHoP architects
snøhetta
tod williams billie tsien architects

“The Foundation received submissions from an impressive list of architects with a range of styles, expertise, and experience,” said Martin Nesbitt, chairman of the Obama Foundation. “These finalists offer a variety of backgrounds and styles, and any one of them would be an excellent choice. We are excited to see this process moving forward because the Obama Presidential Center will be so much more than a library – this facility will seek to inspire citizens across the globe to better their communities, their countries, and their world.”

The Obama Foundation released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on August 26 of this year and asked that responses be submitted by September 16. The Foundation and its advisers reviewed and summarized the responses and made recommendations to the President and First Lady.

these two sites are under consideration for the Barack Obama Presidential Center. image © OPL South Side 

The responses from the firms will be submitted to the Foundation during the first quarter of 2016. Although the RFP process is not a design competition, the RFP will require defined, visual responses from each candidate to present creative ideas in response to the Foundation’s project goals. As the Foundation has not yet selected the specific site for the development of the OPC, the architectural firms will be asked to prepare responses for both the Jackson Park and Washington Park site.

The architect will be responsible for designing the Obama Presidential Center, a facility which will include a library holding the Presidential archives, a museum focusing on the Obama Presidency and issues of our time, and space for programs and initiatives that advance the Foundation’s public mission.

> via Barack Obama Foundation