A below-grade plan of the Center illustrates the versatility and strength of providing underground vehicular access within the complex.  Unsightly features of delivery and rubbish removal are relegated to this underground space.  Congestion is largely eliminated by taking advantage of Garfield Boulevard’s width and navigability, coupled with the inclusion of timed traffic control.  By relegating the back-of-the-house functions inherent to the large complex to this area, the Obama Presidential Center can embrace its setting on the park and within the neighborhood without turning its back on any elevation.  All neighbors and surrounding blocks are treated with equal care and respect, the goals being to unify and empower.

Intermodal rapid transit transfer at the C.T.A. Green Line Station is also facilitated here by the unique road configuration.  Both east-west routes and north-south routes can easily access inbound and outbound station houses of the intermodal facility (shown in green, above).  A connecting, enclosed pedestrian bridge is located above the level shown, for a superior user experience.  Protected and climate-controlled, with bathroom facilities and conscientious security features, the transfer station has accommodations at a level of service greater than even those present in Chicago’s downtown Loop.  Such accommodations, while rudimentary, are critical to convincing visitors and residents alike to abandon their vehicles in favor of mass transit services.

Safety and evacuation concerns throughout the Obama Presidential Center facility are greatly improved by virtue of multiple, fortified means of egress, and a multi-staged security checkpoint approach.  Levels of security increase with greater interior depth.