LOCATION: Atlanta, GA
PROJECT SIZE: 93,100 SQ FT
PROJECT COST: $100,000,000
The Center for Civil and Human Rights will be a “living” Center where visitors experience content through interactive exhibitions and immersive activities. The Freelon Group and HOK collaborated on the winning competition entry for the 93,100 sf Center to be located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta adjacent to The World of Coca Cola and the Georgia Aquarium.
The terra cotta clad arms of the building surround an exterior courtyard which serves as an amphitheater and connection between the upper and lower elevations of the site. As visitors move between exhibits, views of the courtyard offer respite and pause in contrast to the exhibit content. The Center will also have a 250 seat auditorium, temporary galleries, café and gift shop as well as a recording and broadcasting center for oral histories.
The simple yet powerful image of men and women linked arm in arm to form a human chain of solidarity is the inspiring symbol behind the design of the Center. Interlocking arms invoke the spirit of exploration and collaboration that is central to the CCHR’s mission – signifying the linkages that empower individuals and groups of seemingly divergent interests to find common ground. Through this iconic form, discernible from ground level and from above, the very structure of the CCHR embodies the goals and ideals of the institution.
The exhibit content will focus on the Civil Rights movement in the United States and worldwide struggles to protect human rights. A series of powerful exhibits, designed by Gallagher & Associates, will help visitors understand and better appreciate the struggles of the Civil Rights movement. As the future home for the papers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the Center will play an important role in preserving American history. The Center will also be a forum where ongoing struggles for human and civil rights can receive constructive dialogue and progressive action.
The Freelon/HOK team and the CCHR are committed to the preservation and stewardship of the environment. Protection of the environment is a Human Rights issue and the design team will strive to accomplish a responsible and highly sustainable building and landscape design that exemplifies the values of the CCHR.
2009 AIA NC Merit Award (State)
Design Architect: Freelon
Architect of Record: HOK