The ballroom project must receive approval from the National Capital Planning Commission to move forward.
New architectural plans for the White House ballroom were revealed last week, showing formal details of the 89,000-square-foot space.
According to an article by Kriston Capps and Linda Poon in Bloomberg CityLab, the structure will include a banquet space, movie theater, and offices for the First Lady. “The size of the facility hasn’t changed from prior suggestions, according to Shalom Baranes, lead ballroom architect, who delivered the presentation before the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal planning agency tasked with overseeing construction in the nation’s capital.”
In response to a question about why the demolition took place before a review, Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, said “concurrent work of a ‘top secret nature’ had to be considered during this project, including work that is not subject to NCPC review.”
Construction on the structure cannot legally proceed until the project receives NCPC approval. “Federal building projects are also subject to historic preservation and environmental review, processes that can be lengthy.”
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The Architects Foundation
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Journal of the American Planning Association