Texan roots show in Bush center
By Jame Stengle |
April 28, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LAURA Bush wanted to make sure her husband's presidential center reflected their Texas roots, and it does - right down to the building's limestone base from the Midland area, where they both grew up and lived after they were married.
The former first lady led the design committee for the 20,996-square-meter George W. Bush Presidential Center, which houses the 43rd president's library, museum and policy institute. The center, which opens to the public May 1, will be dedicated at Laura Bush's alma mater of Southern Methodist University, not far from the couple's Dallas home.
"I wanted it to have the Texas feel that this building does because that's where we're from," Laura Bush said in a phone interview last week. "I also wanted the building to be modern-looking, to be forward-looking because George was president during the very first decade of our new century."
The building includes red brick to blend in to SMU's Georgian architecture. There's also a 20.5-meter "lantern" made of limestone that serves as a focal point.
The Bush center features woodwork from Texas trees, including mesquite hardwood floors and pecan paneling. And the center's six-hectare urban park recreates a Texas prairie complete with a wildflower meadow, a new blend of native grasses and even trees transplanted from the Crawford ranch.
The former president says his wife's touch can be seen throughout the property.
"The building is spectacular and the gardens are going to be great, and she gets a lot of credit for that," George W. Bush said last week. "I was on the sideline - watching, of course, but deferring to her judgment and tastes."
It was announced this month that the building has received the highest certification - platinum - from the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
In addition to getting many materials from within 800 kilometers of the site, other eco-friendly features include green roofs in three different areas and a cistern that will gather rainwater and provide half of the site's irrigation.
Architect Robert AM Stern says the former first lady influenced the design throughout the project. "She has a very good eye," Stern said. "It's been a very productive and rewarding process from my point of view."
The former first lady led the design committee for the 20,996-square-meter George W. Bush Presidential Center, which houses the 43rd president's library, museum and policy institute. The center, which opens to the public May 1, will be dedicated at Laura Bush's alma mater of Southern Methodist University, not far from the couple's Dallas home.
"I wanted it to have the Texas feel that this building does because that's where we're from," Laura Bush said in a phone interview last week. "I also wanted the building to be modern-looking, to be forward-looking because George was president during the very first decade of our new century."
The building includes red brick to blend in to SMU's Georgian architecture. There's also a 20.5-meter "lantern" made of limestone that serves as a focal point.
The Bush center features woodwork from Texas trees, including mesquite hardwood floors and pecan paneling. And the center's six-hectare urban park recreates a Texas prairie complete with a wildflower meadow, a new blend of native grasses and even trees transplanted from the Crawford ranch.
The former president says his wife's touch can be seen throughout the property.
"The building is spectacular and the gardens are going to be great, and she gets a lot of credit for that," George W. Bush said last week. "I was on the sideline - watching, of course, but deferring to her judgment and tastes."
It was announced this month that the building has received the highest certification - platinum - from the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
In addition to getting many materials from within 800 kilometers of the site, other eco-friendly features include green roofs in three different areas and a cistern that will gather rainwater and provide half of the site's irrigation.
Architect Robert AM Stern says the former first lady influenced the design throughout the project. "She has a very good eye," Stern said. "It's been a very productive and rewarding process from my point of view."
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