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Plans revealed for atelier masōmī's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center in Liberia

2023-04-19T17:31:00-04:00

Details of the new Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development in Monrovia, Liberia have been revealed this week by atelier masōmī, the lead designers of an all-female project that will include exhibition designs from Counterspace’s Sumayya Vally and input from local architect Karen Richards Barnes.

The project supports the EJS Center’s mission with workshops, office spaces, exhibition galleries, a café, and a library. The center was formally established on International Women’s Day in 2020 and will now play host to the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize-winning former President’s personal and professional archives.

Image courtesy atelier masōmī

The atelier’s founder, Mariam Kamara, says: “The design is a direct response to the history, climate, cultural, and architectural heritage of Liberia. The project is an introspection on the challenges faced and on the strength and hope brought about by inspirational leaders such as Madam Sirleaf. The first woman Head of State o...

These are the seven finalists in the Obama Presidential Center competition

2015-12-21T13:35:00-05:00

Today, The Barack Obama Foundation issued a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to seven architectural firms, one of which will ultimately be selected to design the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) on the South Side of Chicago. [...] 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.

After sending out RFQs to a broad range of (undisclosed but widely speculated) architectural firms on August 26, the President and First Lady, together with advisers from the Obama Foundation, have found time to sit down and select seven finalists to receive a formal Request for Proposal. The top-picks aren't surprising and reflect the direction public predictions had already taken:

Adjaye Associates, London, England
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York, NY
John Ronan Architects, Chicago, Illinois
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Genova, Italy
SHoP Architects, New York, NY
Snøhetta, New York, NY
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, New York, NY

Martin Nesbitt, chairman of the Obama Foundation, said: "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...

Obama Presidential Center competition attracts 140 firms, early 2016 selection date of architect expected to be delayed

2015-09-22T14:30:00-04:00

The [Barack Obama Foundation] said 99 of the [140] firms were based in the U.S. with 'many' from Chicago...The Foundation expects [to shortlist] fewer than 10 finalists, who will be asked to respond to the still-to-be-released 'Request for Proposals.'...A Foundation spokesman said that given the number of responses, 'we are reviewing' the self-imposed early 2016 deadline for President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle to select an architect.

More about the Obama Presidential Center on Archinect:

First big-name architects confirmed for Obama Presidential Center

Coming soon: search for architect of Obama's presidential center

Chicago will indeed be the home of the Obama Presidential Center

University of Chicago will reportedly win race for Obama Presidential Library

2014 Chicago Prize winners envision the Obama Presidential Library

Chicago will indeed be the home of the Obama Presidential Center

2015-05-12T13:05:00-04:00

It's official: The Barack Obama Foundation announced today that the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be located on Chicago's South Side, at a site near either Washington Park or Jackson Park. This confirms previous reports hinting at Chicago as the chosen city, winning over alternate proposals for New York City and Honolulu. The Obama family has strong ties to Chicago – it's where Michelle Obama was born and raised, President Obama's political career took off, and where the Presidential couple met, were married and raised a family.

The University of Chicago, where President Obama was a law professor for twelve years, will serve as a close partner in the realization of the Presidential Center, providing resources and infrastructural support. Alongside the Presidential Library, the Center will also include a museum and facilities for the Obama Foundation's operations. The Foundation will fund the construction of the Center, and is also planning to establish a presence in Honolulu,...

Hawaii fights for Obama presidential center

2013-05-08T12:54:00-04:00

The president still has three years in office, but eventually his thoughts will turn to what comes afterward. [...] A presidential library has to be easily accessible to scholars and visitors, so Chicago has a clear advantage. That’s why Honolulu’s leaders named their public campaign carefully: The Hawaii Presidential Center Initiative, not a presidential library.

Previously: The LA Times' Christopher Hawthorne reviews the "fittingly blunt" Bush presidential library