The Obama Presidential Center has been developed as an international cultural institution and campus that celebrates democracy and tells the story of the United States through the lens of our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. Located on the South Side of Chicago, the center is thoughtfully situated within the community and designed to welcome visitors from across the street and around the globe. The center showcases multiple design features across a 19.3-acre campus: A tower housing a museum, community programming spaces, and a library is surrounded by landscaped grounds that highlight a public plaza, gardens, and recreational spaces. The architecture emphasizes transparency, with glass walls inviting visitors to engage with the center’s activities and events and inspires visitors to “bring change home.”

LJC’s growing scope can best be defined as that of a design manager, and the firm’s involvement has been a story of growth and trust; the relationship signifies applied experience and expertise paired with a focus on collaboration and drive for consensus that brings together a complex set of stakeholders and user groups that together are the backbone of this project’s realization.