Studio Gang to design Clinton Presidential Center expansion in Arkansas

Chicago-based architecture firm Studio Gang has been selected to renovate and expand the Clinton Presidential Center, a library and museum in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Studio Gang was chosen by The Clinton Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by former US president Bill Clinton, to expand the programming of the current building.

The program also calls for the creation of a new Hillary Rodham Clinton Institute to house the former first lady and secretary of state’s personal archives.

Situated next to the Arkansas River, the current site includes a number of historical and contemporary structures, including the main building, a five-storey ultra-modern elongated structure designed by American studio Polshek Partnership (now Ennead Architects) in 2004.

The main building cantilevers towards the river and features an event space, a restaurant, a penthouse for the Clintons and a private rooftop garden.

High environmental standards

While no designs have been released, the foundation noted that the expansion will build on its “record of sustainable design”, citing that it was “among the first” LEED-certified buildings in the state.

“The Clinton Presidential Center was built to set a new standard for environmental performance,” said Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang.

“We are excited to be working with the Clinton Foundation to advance that legacy, while also strengthening the Clinton Center’s role as a welcoming hub for cultivating a new generation of global leaders.”

More design details will be released in 2024, according to the foundation, which also noted that Studio Gang will collaborate with local studio Polk Stanley Wilcox on the expansion.

Bill Clinton served twice as the governor of Arkansas as the 42nd president of the United States and was born in Hope, Arkansas.

Recently, Studio Gang completed another project in the city, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, weaving together a number of disparate buildings on the site.

Elsewhere in the state, in Bentonville, the Walton family, founders of supermarket chain Walmart, have been commissioning a number of architectural works including a number of buildings for its Thaden School by Arkansas studio Marlon Blackwell Architects.

Most presidents have commemoratory libraries constructed after their terms. Currently, plans are underway for a Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects-designed structure for former president Barack Obama in Chicago.

The photograph is courtesy of the Clinton Foundation.