Scandinavian firm Snøhetta paired up with Honolulu-based WCIT Architecture to design a proposal for the Barack Obama Presidential Center Library at the University of Hawaii.
Snøhetta wasn’t the only high-profile firm commissioned by this university in the tropics; Allied Works and MOS, the latter pairing up with Honolulu-based Workshop-Hi, also submitted designs for Hawaii’s bid to host the library, Inhabitat reports.
So far, Hawaii is seen as an underdog in the race, as its competitors in the contiguous U.S.—New York’s Columbia University and the University of Chicago—are considered favorites to win the bid. Also in the race is the University of Illinois in Chicago.
The three final cities each have a personal connection to President Obama: Honolulu is the city of the president’s birth and early childhood, New York city is where he spent his time as an undergraduate at Columbia University, and Chicago is where he taught law, met his wife, and started his political career.
All three designs for the University of Hawaii are set on a beach site adjacent to Kaka’ako Waterfront Park. The plan by Snøhetta and WCIT Architecture features a building that “appears square from the outside, but opens at one corner into a rounded courtyard with a pool. One end of the structure meets the ground, providing public access to a roof planted with grasses,” Dezeen reports.
The designs for the University of Hawaii aim to elevate the facility from just a library into a center for learning, public space, and multipurpose center.
“It will be a place where the president can come and meet with leaders from Asia … to bring Asia to Hawaii and to the rest of the world,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell told local station KHON2 News.
Read more at Dezeen.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Aug 17, 2022
California strip mall goes multifamily residential
Tiny Tim Plaza started out as a gas station and a dozen or so stores. Now it’s a thriving mixed-use community, minus the gas station.
| Aug 10, 2022
Gresham Smith Founder, Batey M. Gresham Jr., passes at Age 88
It is with deep sadness that Gresham Smith announces the passing of Batey M. Gresham Jr., AIA—one of the firm’s founders.
Sponsored | | Aug 4, 2022
Brighter vistas: Next-gen tools drive sustainability toward net zero line
New technologies, innovations, and tools are opening doors for building teams interested in better and more socially responsible design.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 3, 2022
7 tips for designing fitness studios in multifamily housing developments
Cortland’s Karl Smith, aka “Dr Fitness,” offers advice on how to design and operate new and renovated gyms in apartment communities.
Building Materials | Aug 3, 2022
Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe on coping with a shaky supply chain in construction
BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, about how his firm keeps projects on schedule and budget in the face of shortages, delays, and price volatility.
Green | Jul 26, 2022
Climate tech startup BlocPower looks to electrify, decarbonize the nation's buildings
The New York-based climate technology company electrifies and decarbonizes buildings—more than 1,200 of them so far.
Building Team | Jul 25, 2022
First Ismaili Center in the U.S. combines Islamic design with Texas influences
Construction has begun on the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. in Houston.
Building Team | Jul 20, 2022
San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction
San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.
Libraries | Jul 20, 2022
Canada to open one of the world’s largest library and archive facilities
When it opens in 2026, Ādisōke is expected to be one of the largest library and archive facilities in the world.
Energy-Efficient Design | Jul 19, 2022
All is not lost: 3 ways architects can respond to the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants dealt a significant blow to our ability to fight the climate crisis with federal policy.