President Trump’s ballroom has rushed toward construction, with little time for public review of this major addition to the White House. Typical architectural design process Concept design Schematic design Design development Construction documents Typical architectural design process Concept design Schematic design Design development Construction documentsAs recently as October, the president was still increasing the ballroom’s capacity, the kind of decision needed at the concept stage. For the ballroom, the planning commission never had a say on the concept design. Proposed East Wing Proposed East Wing Capitol White House White House Proposed East Wing Pennsylvania Ave. 960,000 cubic feet Executive Residence Proposed East Wing 3,600,000 cubic feet 960,000 cubic feet Executive Residence Proposed East Wing 3,600,000 cubic feet Note: Volume is approximate and it includes ground floor and above.

Source: New York Times March 29, 2026 18:51 UTC