The Obamas Search for an Architect

John Hill

27. August 2015

Photo: Courtesy of The Barack Obama Foundation

The Barack Obama Foundation has released an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for architects interested in designing the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) to be located on Chicago's South Side.

The RFQ was posted on the Obama Foundation website on Wednesday, coming a few months after the Obamas selected Chicago as the site for the OPC, which will be located either in Jackson Park or Washington Park. The parks are found in Hyde Park, the neighborhood Barack and Michelle Obama called home before moving to Washington, DC.

In addition to housing the Presidential Library, the OPC is envisioned as including "an interactive museum about the office of the President, his administration, and the issues of our time, expansive greenspace, ... indoor and outdoor performance space, ... training and educational programs, healthy dining for visitors, and 'Labs' for talent of all types to innovate and share their work," among other functions.

For the architect search, the Foundation's website indicates:

The process of selecting a firm(s) to provide architectural design services for the future OPC will include a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase and a Request for Proposal (RFP) phase. The RFP will not require a full design competition effort as part of the candidates' submissions. It will, however, require a defined, limited effort from each candidate to present creative ideas in response to the Foundation's project goals and site information provided in the RFP. The Foundation does not anticipate announcing the architect until after a contract has been executed in early 2016.

Responses to the RFQ are due by 16 September 2015. A PDF of the RFQ is available here.