A request for qualifications has been issued for architects to design the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago (OPC). The Barack Obama Foundation put out the request and outlined two possible sites for the building, including Jackson Park and Washington Park in Chicago’s South Side.

The centre will contain a library that will house presidential archives related to Obama’s time in office, a museum about his presidency and the issues faced by his administration as well as training and education programs and facilities to accomodate meetings for activists, leaders and thinkers.

According to architecture critic Blair Kamin from the Chicago Tribune, officials have indicated that the selection process will be skewed to favour US practices, especially those from Chicago. He said architects that have been invited to submit included Ennead Architects and Robert A.M. Stern, who designed the previous two presidential libraries, and others such as Pritzker Prize-winner Renzo Piano and British architect David Adjaye.

Two parks linked by an elongated central strip of parkland have been selected as potential sites for the centre. Chicago has a strong tradition of building museums in parks, with all of its 11 major museums surrounded by greenery.

Funds for the OPC will be raised by the Barack Obama Foundation, and the National Archives and Records Administration and the University of Chicago will collaborate in the development of the centre. The presidential library will join the 13 others dotted across the country, which have been created in honour of presidents such as John F Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Franklin D Roosevelt and Bill Clinton.

Responses to the request for qualifications are due on Wednesday September 16, and selected practices will be issued with a request for proposal. The nominated practice and design are expected to be announced early in 2016.

To view the request for qualifications, click here.