The Obama Presidential Center is a transformative 19-acre civic campus in Chicago's historic Jackson Park that reimagines the traditional presidential library as a center for civic engagement, education, and community life. As a Partner at Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners, Paul Schulhof served as a Principal Architect from the project's inception, providing leadership through programming, master planning, design, and construction. Working closely with President and Mrs. Obama, the Obama Foundation, an interdisciplinary consultant team, and community stakeholders, he helped shape the vision for a campus that balances powerful civic symbolism with exceptional technical execution while serving as a catalyst for investment and community revitalization on Chicago's South Side.

The campus includes a Museum, the Forum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a public plaza, and an expansive landscape designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates that seamlessly integrates the campus with Jackson Park. Rather than serving solely as a repository of history, the Center is conceived as an active destination that inspires dialogue, participation, and leadership while strengthening its surrounding community. Targeting LEED Platinum, WELL, and SITES certifications, the project establishes a new benchmark for sustainable cultural institutions through innovative environmental strategies, resilient landscape design, and high-performance building systems.