With the Obama Presidential Center's official opening June 19 in Chicago, Envel Facade's custom concrete letters are on full display.
The letters form an excerpt from President Barack Obama's speech given at a March 7, 2015, commemoration of the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
Envel manufactured the ultra high performance concrete letters used in Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design. Envel worked on the manufacturing the letters for five years and completed the project in February.
“Envel worked closely with the design and engineering teams to refine geometry, engineering performance, and fabrication strategy,” according to a press release. “The result is a facade installation that combines precision, durability and expressive architectural form.”
Envel cast 39 panels using 52 different molds to form the 458 letters in South Bend. Each letter is about 4-feet 4-inches tall. They were placed on panels from 20- to 30-feet tall. A custom Gothic typeface was used for the letters, similar to the one used in Obama's 2008 campaign materials.
“Envel Facade is proud to have contributed to a landmark project where architecture and language converge at a monumental scale,” said the release.
The Obama Presidential Center celebrated its opening weekend June 19-21. The 19.3-acre campus features a museum, public library, sports arena, dining and the Great Lawn. Tickets are already sold out through November.
Envel Facade was founded in 2016 in South Bend by a team of manufacturers.
