The first images and models of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' plans for the Obama Presidential Library in Chicago have been revealed.
Former US president Barack Obama and wife Michelle presented the concept design and site plan for the library set for the city's Jackson Park at an event earlier today.
The proposal includes a tall stone-clad museum with faceted sides and cutaway corners, sat beside a lower forum and opposite a library. They would create a U-shape around a central plaza facing onto South Stony Island Avenue.

"The design approach for the centre is guided by the goal of creating a true community asset that seeks to inspire and empower the public to take on the greatest challenges of our time," said New York firm Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, which is collaborating with local studio Interactive Design Architects on the project. "The Obamas were clear that they wanted the centre to seamlessly integrate into the park and the community, and include diverse public spaces."
Landscaping, designed by a team led by New York firm Michael Van Valkenburgh, would wraps around the buildings and continue over the roofs of the forum and library.

A water basin is planned to the north of the site, while a viewpoint, a sledding hill, a children's playground and an open lawn would be surrounded and linked by meandering pathways to the south.
Further south would be an athletics centre and the relocated Jackson Park Track and Field facility, whi...