This phase of work calls for different trades and subcontractors with the skills to meet the demands of a complex design using high-performance materials that are relatively new to the construction scene. It also provides the opportunity to shift the type of work that can be performed on the interior, especially as winter arrives. 

In November 2023, crews working on the Obama Presidential Center began placing large, white cubes of geofoam along the eastern side of the project site. Made from expanded polystyrene (EPS), this substance is 100 times lighter than soil, making it an ideal “site fill” material that can be used to add natural contours to the landscape without the need for the additional structural support that is required when using heavier earth materials.

Geothermal energy is a well that never runs dry, tapped from the earth’s inner core where the temperature is as hot as the sun’s surface, about 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be available as long as the sun shines, or for another five billion years or so. And, geothermal energy, which produces just 0.03% of the emissions of coal or gas, will supplement the traditional heating and cooling systems that power the Obama Presidential Center, substantially reducing the OPC’s carbon footprint.