The Experiential Design Index

Obama Presidential Center Museum — Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center Museum, a new building on the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects with Interactive Design Architects, opened to the public June 19, 2026, with exhibition design led by Ralph Appelbaum Associates alongside Civic Projects Architecture and Normal Studio, and a facade typographic installation by Pentagram.

VenueObama Presidential Center
Project typeNew Building
StatusCompleted
Year completed2026

Credits

FirmRoleNote
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects Architecture Lead campus architect
interactive-design-architects Architecture Chicago-based architect of record, joint design/engineering lead.
Ralph Appelbaum Associates Exhibit Design Led exhibition experience design across the museum's four exhibition levels (~35,000 sq ft).
civic-projects-architecture Exhibit Design Chicago-based exhibit design and documentation partner.
normal-studio Environmental Graphics & Wayfinding Exhibit graphic design partner.
Pentagram Environmental Graphics & Wayfinding "Words of Hope" typographic installation on the museum tower's facade: 103 words and 458 letters from President Obama's 2015 Selma speech, cast in concrete panels.
Prime Access Consulting Accessibility / Inclusive Design Consulting Embedded inclusive design and accessibility across campus navigation, the museum's built environment/cases/furniture, content and digital graphic design, time-based media and wayfinding, and community/remote engagement (April 2018 – June 2026); developed the Universal Experience Point (UXP) accessibility interface, an evolution of the Universal Keypad/Universal Access Point PAC developed for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
SH Acoustics Acoustic Consulting Comprehensive exhibit acoustics, audio system design, and sound isolation consulting throughout the museum; led final audio tuning and calibration.
Cortina Productions Media Design & Software
BBI Engineering AV Integration
kubik maltbie Fabrication
Fisher Marantz Stone Lighting Design Credited as lighting-design consultant for the OPC campus (Museum tower, Forum, Library); scope not independently confirmed as Museum-specific since the Forum and Library have no separate project records in this index.

Sources