“If you build it, they will come”

The Lucas Museum under construction, 2024, photo courtesy of lucasmuseum.org

 
“If you build it, they will come”

by Sweiskloss
January 15, 2026
From a super skinny skyscraper to a presidential library, architectural projects underway in 2026 will change the skyline for many cities and landscapes across the United States. Fortunately, most of these skyline changes include environmental, social, and aesthetically responsible features that make us eager for their completion.

Obama Presidential Center, Chicago, IL
Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the Obama Presidential Center museum is “designed to resemble four hands coming together” (dezeen.com). Presently under construction, grey granite siding covers the exterior of the building which will feature a Sky Room and viewing area on the top floor. Spanning 19-acres on the south side of Chicago, the campus will also feature the Home Court athletics and events facility, fruit and vegetable gardens, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library that boasts a walkable green roof. Committed to sustainability, the center will source “100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy” and “have a comprehensive water conservation system,” solar panels, high efficiency filters, provisions for noise reduction, and other environmentally friendly initiatives (Obama.org). Playgrounds and parklands will allow the community to use the spaces year-round. The center is slated to open later this year.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, CA
It should come as no surprise that Lucas’ museum dedicated to illustrated storytelling is futuristic in style. Located in Exposition Park, the rounded 300,000-square foot structure is covered in thousands of fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels “giving the building a slick, almost spaceship-like appearance” (dezeen.com). Designed by Ma Yansong (MAD studio) the organic form features fluid shapes and curves, sweeping arches, glass elevators and is flooded with natural light. “At its center is a massive arch that bridges a semi-enclosed plaza crowned by an oculus” (dezeen.com). The five-story museum will contain two theaters, classrooms, galleries, shops and a café. Native and drought tolerant plantings, and more than 200 new trees adorn the paths, meadows and shaded spaces. Sustainable design practices include capturing rainwater for irrigation, green roof, and photovoltaic panels. The museum is scheduled to open September 22, 2026.

The David Geffen Galleries, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA
The David Geffen Galleries themselves are proving to be as impressive as the art collection they will be housing. Designed by Peter Zumthor in collaboration with SOM, the open spaced horizontal gallery challenges the traditional museum layout. Seven glass-enclosed street level pavilions will offer visitor services, retail, education spaces and a theater. Above them, the exhibition gallery spreads across a single open floor. As the new home to LACMA’s permanent collection, the elevated glass and concrete amoeba-shaped structure replaces four aging building. It features a low-slung bridge that floats 30 feet above Wilshire Boulevard, floating staircases and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer spectacular views. “Contoured and cantilevered, the design of the new museum creates an unimpeded connection between artifacts on display…. and the visitors” (azuremagazine.com). The museum is scheduled to officially open in April of this year, although they have already held soft opening musical performances and events.

520 Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY
Designed by KPF, the supertall skyscraper at 520 Fifth Avenue will rise 1,020-feet becoming the tallest residential tower on the famous avenue. According to their website, the structure draws inspiration from neighboring landmarks such as Rockefeller Center and the mansions that once graced Fifth Avenue. Informed by Beaux-arts design, the skyscraper features an arched terracotta colonnade at ground level, spiraling setbacks and arched windows framed in fluted casings, details influenced by nearby icons including Grand Central Terminal, the Century Association and the New York Public Library. The 88-story mixed-used structure will have office spaces, a private members club and 100 residences that offer ceilings up to 14 feet high, breathtaking views and private terraces. Residents will enjoy a glass-walled Solarium, Dining Room, Lounge and Library. Interiors are a contemporary take on a classic New York style that is timeless and elegant. Completion is expected by June 2026.

Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Hudson Valley, NY
“All the world’s a stage,” penned the namesake of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare company who will soon have their own permanent stage. The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center, designed by Studio Gang, will be a 26,000-square-foot, 475-seat venue continuing in the tradition of the Globe Theater, with an open-air style with shade for audience and actors alike. It will be “the first public purpose-built LEED Platinum theater in the United States and is the centerpiece of a 98-acre campus” (hvskakespeare.org). The theater implements a variety of sustainable strategies including a timber A-frame, PV panels, and rainwater harvesting. The structure blends into the landscape with a gently curved roof that mirrors the surrounding ridges, the paths around the theater meander through rolling hills, and a proscenium arch on the stage frames the Hudson Valley. The 2026 opening season will feature As You Like It, King Lear and Les Miserables.

Memphis Art Museum, Memphis, TN
The oldest and largest museum in the state, Herzog and de Meuron have reimagined Memphis’ new waterfront structure as a tribute to the city. A horizontal “window” frames the view of the Mississippi, while the 122,000-square-foot building is clad in neutral tones inspired by the river’s clay banks. “As one of the country’s first major museums utilizing laminated timber, the construction honors the city’s self-proclaimed identity of Hardwood Capital of the World” (galeriemagazine.com). The museum also boasts a full roof sculpture garden, glass facade, block-long community courtyard, theater, café and event spaces. The museum is scheduled to open in December 2026.

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Medora, ND
Expected to open July 4, 2026, the library honors the conservation legacy of the 26th president, with its sustainable ambitions categorized as “Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Emissions, and Zero Waste” according to their website. Designed by Snohetta, environmentally friendly practices include the use of mass timber, rammed earth walls, high performance thermal envelope to minimize heat loss, geothermal wells, water harvesting, solar panels, and recycling and composting programs among other initiatives. Informed by Rosevelt’s interest in environmental stewardship and engagement with nature, the structure echoes the landforms of the surrounding Badlands and features an accessible green roof that provides unparalleled stargazing as well as a “boardwalk” around the butte with paths, seating areas and shaded canopies.
Other anticipated buildings include Waterline in Austin, TX, that will be the state’s first supertall skyscraper at 1,025-feet; 262 Fifth Avenue in New York City, with a core pushed to one side; Buffalo Bills Stadium featuring the “world’s largest snowmelt system”; and in a nod to biophilic design, One River North in Denver, CO that literally has a canyon running through the middle of the glass exterior with a trail of gardens and water features that resemble the Rocky Mountains (archiverse27.com).
 
Laura McMahon