| Also on Tuesday, Bisnow's Dallas-Fort Worth reporter was on hand for the groundbreaking of the presidential library in honor of George W. Bush at the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas. The center, which is aiming for LEED Platinum, will include a library to house records, from e-mails to official documents; a museum complete with a replica of the Oval Office; and a research institute. Construction officially began on Tuesday, with costs projected at $137M. The team includes Manhattan Construction Co. (which built the elder Bush's library at Texas A&M), architect Robert A.M. Stern, and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. |
| Manhattan Construction Co. project exec Mark Penny tells us that the center, rendered above, will open in Spring '13—an aggressive schedule, but the design is complete, and the bid process is out and in the process of being awarded. This is the first presidential library post-9/11, so security measures (like blast-resistant skin) are incorporated into it. The building is designed for 100-plus years, with lots of stone and brick to blend in with SMU's campus. The three-story center will also feature 14k SF of permanent museum exhibition space, 5k SF of temp exhibit space, a 353-seat auditorium, and a 15-acre park. And landscaping will feature, 1,900 shrubs, which we expect the president will personally manicure. |
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