Obama Presidential Center Finalists Name Their Favorite Chicago Buildings

The interviews are an update of sorts on the selection process, which was narrowed down to seven architects in December 2015: Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, John Ronan Architects, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, SHoP Architects, Snøhetta, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Although a precise timeline of naming the OPC architect is not avaiable ("visual proposals" are due the first quarter of 2016 with the winner chosen sometime after that), these interviews make sure we don't forget about the project.

Further, even though a site hasn't been selected (it will be one of two parks in Hyde Park near the University of Chicago) and these interviews don't really reveal who has the edge, their answers do give insight into how they think about Chicago. David Adjaye's interview does not include the question on a favorite Chicago building, but the others do and are highlighted below. Visit the Obama Foundation website to read the full interviews with the seven finalists.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro
New York, NY

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
It’s hard to isolate a single building. If you zoom out, Chicago itself is a powerful urban entity that effortlessly converges nature and culture — a tall, modern metropolis sprung out of a prairie and a body of water.

John Ronan Architects
Chicago, IL

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
Marina City because it proposed a new way of living in the city.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Genova, Italy; Paris, France; New York, NY

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
Crown Hall, for its transparency, proportion, and integrity

SHoP Architects
New York, NY

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
Our favorite piece of architecture in Chicago is not a building (how could you pick only one?) but a piece of infrastructure. Or, really, an infrastructural idea that has been evolving since the 1920s: the system of double- and triple-level streets downtown. Viewed from New York, where we lack even alleys to support the complex life of the city, streets like Wacker Drive or the multi-level stretches of Michigan Avenue seem like an almost impossibly far-sighted feature to include in an urban plan. It is such a profoundly intelligent solution to the thorny problem of providing efficient access and robust services of every kind to a very dense city core. The success of every landmark building in the area owes a great deal to this thoughtful early-20th century innovation. It's the great sweeping idea that helps make so many individual Chicago buildings great.

Snøhetta
Oslo Norway; New York, NY

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
Krause Music Store. A rare and unexpected gem, it was built with joy despite the difficult circumstances under which Sullivan designed it.

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
New York, NY

What's your favorite building in Chicago, and why?
TW: : The Monadnock Building because it is rooted to the earth and at the same time a true skyscraper.
BT: The Monadnock Building because it is like an ancient tree that can never be uprooted.