The design of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU, which will be formally unveiled today, is a showcase for exhibits, not a monument to the 43rd president, former first lady Laura Bush said this week.
‘Mrs. Laura W. Bush, Architect Robert A. M. Stern and Landscape Architect Matthew Urbanski of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates today unveiled the design of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a modern brick and limestone structure that complements the American Georgian character of the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas. Set within a low-maintenance, quintessentially Texas landscape, the light-filled building is both presidential and welcoming, evoking both Texas and Washington. The building will house the three components of the George W. Bush Presidential Center: the Presidential archives, a museum, and a policy institute.
“I applaud the work of Robert Stern and Michael Van Valkenburgh in designing a building and landscape that will capture the dignity of the office of the Presidency, while at the same time being warm and welcoming to visitors,” President George W. Bush said. “Laura and I are thrilled with the plans.”
“The building and landscape evoke elements of the full span of George and Laura Bush’s life and service, from their ranch in Crawford to the White House, and help us share the story of a couple committed to public service based on the core principles of freedom, opportunity, responsibility and compassion,” said Mark Langdale, President of the George W. Bush Foundation.
“The George W. Bush Presidential Center reflects a unique design that is appropriate in representing the first U.S. President of the 21st Century,” said R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University. “At the same time, it reflects major components of SMU’s Collegiate Georgian architectural tradition of nearly 100 years. As a modern expression of our heritage, this facility will be a welcome addition to the stately buildings and grounds that make the SMU campus a special place for learning,” Turner said.
The building and landscape are designed to achieve LEED platinum certification and include numerous sustainable design strategies including locally sourced building materials, 20% recycled materials, solar hot water panels, native landscaping to reduce irrigation and a storm-water management system that conveys, cleanses and collects surface runoff and roof rainwater.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for November 2010 and the Center is expected to open in February 2013.’
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