Construction update April 2025: Celebrate Sustainability Month with us

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It’s Sustainability Month at The Obama Foundation and as we make impressive strides towards completing the Obama Presidential Center, we are doing so while working to build an environmentally friendly campus.

When the Presidential Center opens in 2026, our brand new campus will not only be a hub for innovation — it will set a new standard for sustainable and scalable growth. The Center will source 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy, implement a comprehensive water conservation system, and promote healthy living through programs and initiatives with members of the Chicago community. Additionally, our campus will be LEED v4 Platinum (Opens in a new tab), SITES Silver (Opens in a new tab), Zero Energy, and International WELL Health-Safety certified. 

Check out our latest construction update and get a look at some of our sustainability work in action below:

An exterior look at the glasswork currently in progress at Home Court. The building is under construction surrounded by a large mound of dirt. Next to the mound is a red construction truck. It is daylight outside.
An exterior look at the glasswork currently in progress at Home Court
Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center

This month, the construction team continues to install exterior glass at Home Court, a 45,000-square foot multipurpose space nestled on the southwest corner of the campus. Glass work has been completed on the east and north faces of the building, and glass installation has commenced on the west face of the building, in what will eventually become seating areas and program rooms. 

Home Court is designed in line with the Foundation’s sustainability goals and will be heated and cooled primarily through the use of geothermal energy. The slight tint and fritting on Home Court’s glass windows will also deter bird collisions and contribute to sun shading and UV protection for the people and built environment inside.

For prospective visitors interested in a scenic view: Building work is progressing on a terrace that will span the three upper level program rooms. An L-shaped green roof will run along the outer edge of the deck and bring new views of Bob Pickens track and field, in Jackson Park, from this overlook.

The Forum Building 

Further north on the campus is the Forum Building, future home of community activity and engagement. Granite work at the Forum continues across two courtyards on the lower level. The two courtyards will bring light and green space to the building, helping illuminate the Democracy In Action Lab program rooms and the Media Suite.

Speaking of the Media Suite: drywall is nearly complete. The walls of the Media Suite studios are densely packed with sound-dampening insulation. In order to ensure the safety of those using the Media Suite, the complicated wiring, piping, and ductwork – located on the ceiling – will be concealed above acoustical panels and a lighting grid. The Media Suite will be a lively and energetic space that creators from all walks of life can come and use.  

Also located in the Forum Building is the Elie Wiesel Auditorium. Construction on the Auditorium is moving along swiftly: the first finished ceiling panels were installed onto lighter wood infrastructure panels that are suspended beneath the black ceiling. This intentional design will create circular and rectangular openings that house lighting and acoustical elements for visitors to use and enjoy.

The Museum
An image of the interior grand staircase of the Museum Building. The staircase has metal base and wood batten ceiling above.
A sneak peek at Grand Staircase in the Obama Presidential Center Museum Building

Great news: Museum exhibit installation has officially begun! The Obama Presidential Center Museum, which will detail the history of America’s first Black President and First Lady, will be an immersive experience that encourages visitors to learn more about their role in democratic progress. Here, on level three of the Museum, walls that will house  an immersive and interactive exhibit space are being erected.

An image of construction on the Sky Room Ceiling at the Obama Presidential Center Museum Building. The image shot from above and shows the walls and beams being built for the sky room. There is a construction worker walking on the bottom floor wearing a hard hat and a neon yellow construction vest.
An image of the Sky Room Ceiling located at the top of the Obama Presidential Center Museum Building.

Work also proceeds on the other levels of the Museum, which will feature artifacts from the Obama administration and beyond,  films, interactive displays, and the 88’ tall media installation, the Power of Words.  

All of this is just a tiny look into the work happening at the Center: there are dozens of energy-efficient plans currently happening across the campus today. To take a deeper look at our sustainability efforts here and keep an eye out for more updates on the construction at the Presidential Center!

Help build the Obama Presidential Center

Your donation makes it possible for us to build a world-class museum, library, and gathering spaces on Chicago’s South Side.

Donate to the Barack Obama Foundation. The Barack Obama Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 46-4950751).

Follow Along

Sign up for our new Obama Presidential Center Explorer email series and come along for the journey as we build the Center. We’ll have exclusive updates and previews all the way through our Grand Opening in 2025.

More construction updates

Two bluish purple inverted triangles of wall substructure look to be wedged into the ground on the north face of Home Court, hinting at the shape of the metal panels that will eventually cover this part of the building, and the shape of glass walls between the wedges. In the foreground concrete angular and curved support walls and railings, and contours of geofoam span the landscape where the playground and part of the great lawn will eventually be.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Feb. 2025: Home Court at the OPC takes shape

Get a peek at the basketball hoop-shaped exterior wedge walls.

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  • Building the Center
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Construction update Jan. 2025: Glass and granite continue to climb

The Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center was topped out —which means the steel skeleton of the building is complete!

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  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Dec. 2024: topping out

The Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center was topped out —which means the steel skeleton of the building is complete!

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  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Nov. 2024: steel, stone, and art

Get a peek at the steel framing for the athletics facility, museum building stone installation and an update on the latest artwork.

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A gray stone installation climbs up the north and east faces of the Museum Building at the Obama Presidential Center. Blue tarp-wrapped escalator bases are seen through an opening that will eventually be clad in an art glass installation. A clear blue sky is in the background.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update October 2024: Concrete is complete at the Obama Presidential Center

Concrete construction across the site is complete. The Sky Room and Oval Office are taking shape.

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On a clear blue-sky day, President Obama stands in a hard hat and a brightly colored safety vest at the Obama Presidential construction site and signs a beam. A large group of construction workers with various skin tones also wearing safety clothing surround him.
  • Building the Center
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Construction update June 2024: President Obama marks the completion of the Museum Building

The Museum Building at the Obama Presidential Center has reached its final height of 225 feet.

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A low angle shot shows workers on an orange basket lift affixing a panel of “Tapestry” stone to the lower west face of the Museum Building. A cloudy sunny sky is in the background.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update May 2024: The Obama Presidential Center takes shape

Check out the latest construction update at the Obama Presidential Center.

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President Obama is smiling wearing sunglasses, a white hardhat with the Obama Foundation rising sun logo, gloves, and a bright orange safety vest over a long dress coat. He is holding a cup of coffee and standing next to a white woman wearing a neon yellow construction coat, hard hat, and goggles. They are walking in front of three other people with a range of light to deep skin tones wearing orange safety vests and white hard hats. They are all walking in an unfinished building with scaffolding in the background.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
December 8th 2023 – construction update

See the latest photos and stay up-to-date on the building process.

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A view of the Museum Building rising to the sky on the site of the Obama Presidential Center. Cranes are in the sky as work continues on the garage rooftop. Construction equipment is scattered throughout.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Oct. 2023: Granite panels are going up

The days may be getting cooler, but things are heating up at the Obama Presidential Center!

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A construction worker in a white hard hat and orange safety vest looks at a structure as he stands on the concrete floor of Museum Building Level 3
  • Building the Center
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Construction update July 2023: third floor and climbing

Construction has reached the third floor, where a reconstruction of the Obama Oval Office will be on exhibit.

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On a clear day, a crane rises up behind a concrete building that’s under construction. In the foreground sits a rust-colored industrial trash bin and to the right, a construction worker wearing a white hard hat and yellow safety vest looks down at a pile of building material.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Sept. 2023: 100 feet and climbing

It has been a season of great progress! The height of the stair and elevator wells have passed the halfway-point of the building.

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A massive crane stands high above a construction site.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update May 2023: concrete on repeat

Work on the Museum building has reached an exciting milestone with the placement of the street level deck to form the concrete floor at this level.

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A construction site with scaffolding, concrete and rebar. Two people wear neon yellow and hard hats on the right side.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update April 2023: meeting a parking garage milestone

Major structural work on the underground parking garage is complete!

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Two construction workers wearing bright orange and yellow vests and white hard hats appear to unload planks of wood. They stand in a cavernous room of concrete filled with insulation and other building materials.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update March 2023: Library and Forum trade work begins

As the Center continues to take shape, we are thrilled to reach a new milestone in its construction.

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A building being constructed of concrete at the Obama Presidential Center. Beams and rebar can be seen in scaffolding. A worker is wearing orange and working in the background. The sky is gray.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Jan. 2023: mild weather and a strong start to 2023

Construction at The Center has picked up considerably since the holidays, aided by the unseasonably mild weather.

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A wide shot of the construction on the site of the Obama Presidential Center in the daytime.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Sept. 2022: Year two begins

As construction of the Obama Presidential Center enters its second year, the focus is almost entirely on concrete.

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  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Aug. 2022: first workforce report released

The organization is on track to meet its ambitious workforce and business diversity goals for construction.

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A construction site showing scaffolding and rebar
  • Building the Center
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Construction update July 2022: casting columns and concrete

The majority of columns for the lower level of the parking garage have been cast and construction of the concrete walls is nearly complete.

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People wearing neon yellow safety gear gather around Barack Obama as he shakes hands with a woman in the center. A white tarp is behind them.
  • Building the Center
  • Barack Obama
Construction update June 2022: President Obama stops by

Watch as President Obama surprises the construction crew and tours the site.

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A wide view of a construction site with metal pilings and rebar.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update May 2022: digging deep

Mass excavation and earth retention is complete and the focus is now squarely on concrete operations.

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A construction site with concrete and scaffolding. A building is at the center with a red scaffold in the middle.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update April 2022: Cranes are up

Two tower cranes were installed to facilitate the construction of the Garage and Museum Building.

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A construction site filled with mud and concrete. Large metal tubing is on either side and a wood staircase is in the back center of the frame.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update March 2022: Earth retention work is complete

A metal perimeter around the subterranean level of the main buildings and parking garage will prevent water from infiltrating the buildings.

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A wide shot of snow-covered ground and buildings in the background. The sun is shining in a blue sky.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Feb. 2022: getting ready for mass excavation

Progress on constructing the Obama Presidential Center continues with relatively few inclement weather delays.

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A snowy, muddy construction site with the rectangular outline of metal and red pipe.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Jan 2022: ringing in the new year with geothermal wells

Drilling for geothermal wells is nearly complete, and work to connect the wells through a series of lateral ducts is about a third of the way finished.

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Two men in neon yellow construction jackets and hardhats stand waist-deep in a dirt trench. Behind them are construction vehicles and a blue sky with buildings.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Dec. 2021: drilling down

Drilling began for the first caissons that will support the underground parking garage.

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People explore the sky room of the future Obama Presidential Center
  • Building the Center
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Construction update Oct. 2021: hosting a community event for People with Disabilities

This event will bring members of the disabilities community up to speed on the current approach to inclusive design at the OPC.

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Barack and Michelle Obama with shovels in their hands, smiling at the camera, pretending to dig in a pile of dirt. A man stands on one side of them, Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot holds a shovel on the other side.
  • Building the Center
  • Barack Obama
Construction update Sept. 2021: breaking ground

Mayor Lightfoot and Governor Pritzker joined President and Mrs. Obama for the ceremony, each sharing remarks.

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A slightly-angled graphic rendering of a large, white rectangular building surrounded by green fields, white pathways and trees. A road is on one side and a body of water on the other.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update Aug. 2021: Roadway improvements begin

Roadway improvements will continue and construction will begin within the 19.3 acre site of the Center that sits within Jackson Park.

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A mostly green and gray site-plan map of the Obama Presidential Center with a focus on buildings, pathways and roads.
  • Building the Center
  • Chicago
Construction update June 2021: Median work begins

Expect lane closures as preparatory work to remove the existing median on Cornell Drive and install a new one begins.

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