February 5, 2015 – Even if Chicago is selected to host the Barack Obama Presidential Library, it will not be along the Chicago River.

But maybe it should be.

The search for a place to put the library inspired the Chicago Architectural Club to ask local architects to speculate on what a library on the west bank of the river – at the confluence of the main, north, and south branches – would look like. The competition was open to “anyone with a vision” and the goal was to “initiate a debate in order to rethink and redefine this particular building typology.”

For example, is a presidential library a stand-alone monument or rather a forum of social-urban interaction?

A panel of judges met on January 20 to consider this and select two winners that were announced on Tuesday.

The design team of Zhu Wenyi, Fu Junsheng, and Liang Yiang says their library “is designed to reflect President Obama’s charisma, while maintaining and showcasing the identity of the urban grid and river system.”

(Below) Imagined from inside the library.

Aras Burak Sen’s library, called The Bridge of Hope, is divided into eight levels, each representing a single year of Obama’s presidency. The ground floor is shaped, says Sen, “like a peace sign to represent the hope felt during Obama’s first year in office” and would serve as a bridge connecting the three riverbanks. (Right) The peace sign changes shape on each level, according to the designer, “representing the distortion of hopes over time.”

(Left) Cross-section of Sen’s library. (Click on image to view larger version.)

Three other design teams, comprised of Daniel Palotai, Drew Cowdrey, Trey Kirk, Ann Lui, and Craig Reschke, received honorable mentions.

Lui and Reschke’s proposal, perhaps intended more to amuse than to provoke thought, was for a “drone aviary” that would use the small flying machines to collect and disburse artifacts instead of keeping them in the library.

“Teachers can…borrow the pen used by Barack Obama to sign the health care bill by requesting that the library send it, via drone, to their classroom.”

The winning proposals are on display at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Judges included Chicago architects and designers Geoffrey Goldberg, Brian Lee, Andy Metter, Elva Rubio, Stanley Tigerman, and Dan Wheeler.

The history of Chicago Architectural Club dates back to 1885. It was revived in 1979 and according to its website, “currently focuses on the younger generation of architects.”