Given the legacy and commitments made by President Obama, the Presidential Center has a virtual mandate to reach Net Zero, not by means of horse-trading and ecological bartering, but by using onsite renewables.  The overarching plan strives to enable the Center to chart a decisive course that demonstrably establishes the bold decisions, firm commitments, and holistic approach that are necessary to create truly high-performing public facilities.  There could be no better-suited approach to embody the achievements and lasting impact of the tenure of our 44th President.

This is simply not possible with the current design in Jackson Park, but can be achieved at Washington Park using a series of carefully deployed concepts.  The plan incorporates many PassiveHouse strategies, reducing energy loss to the greatest extent possible, then zeroing-out energy usage with onsite renewable energy.  District energy delivery and retention features of the plan include a 725 kW photovoltaic array and 965 MBtu of seasonal thermal storage, supplemented by backup ground-source heat pumps.  Walls and roofs are balanced for energy gain and loss; thermal bridging is mostly eliminated.  Fresh air intake uses passive, district-scale dehumidification strategies, and thermal preloading is also employed in spaces of assembly.

Buildings are designed with strong solar orientation and, with high ceilings, light shelves, and proper depth, are ideally configured for daylighting without witnessing excessive gains or losses.  Tuned shading devices exist on most fenestration, taking the form of operable exterior louvers where required per insolation balance.  The double-skinned tower also incorporates interstitial operable louvers; its configuration promotes positive natural cavity ventilation from all prevailing wind directions.

The semi-conditioned Wintergarden, a buffer space, is a special feature that helps to ensure high performance under heavy occupancy demand.  Its translucent, insulated roof houses integrated collector loops for the thermal storage system.

Water reuse and management are taken very seriously, also at the district level. On-site treatment plants clean grey water to meet Illinois code requirements, after which it is siphoned to gravity-fed tanks for water closets and irrigation.  Meanwhile, water intended for onsite retention is cleaned, pH adjusted, and nutrient-fortified for special wetland habitat applications.

Additional discussion pertaining to the environmental features of the buildings is provided in the following section entitled The Conceptual Design.