Archinect - News

Snøhetta wins the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library competition

2020-09-21T12:45:00-04:00

After revealing three finalist designs for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library last month, the international competition for the planned $100 million research and interpretive center has unanimously selected Snøhetta as the design architect. Their winning proposal for the forthcoming 15th American Presidential Library in the Badlands of North Dakota prevailed over the other two finalist entries by Studio Gang and Henning Larsen.

Image courtesy of Snøhetta.

"The design of the Library is more than a building," explains Snøhetta's project description, adding, "it is a journey through a preserved landscape of diverse habitats, punctuated with small pavilions providing spaces for reflection and activity. The Library’s gently sloping roof looks to the northeast, gazing over the National Park, historical settings in the Little Missouri River valley, and the Elkhorn Ranch far in the distance, further connecting the Library of tomorrow with its origins in th...

Henning Larsen, Snøhetta, and Studio Gang unveil concepts for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

2020-08-22T13:20:00-04:00

In the final phases of the design competition for the design of the anticipated Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, the Foundation of the same name has selected three finalists: Henning Larsen, Snøhetta, and Studio Gang. The top three were chosen from amongst 12 other practices that responded to the RFQ made public by the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation.

Studio Gang's concept. Image courtesy of Studio Gang.

The project will reside in the the North Dakotan Badlands where Roosevelt first set out to following the death of his wife and mother. The Badlands is where a young Roosevelt found refuge and healing, pursuing what he later called the "strenuous life." The mission of the library is "to explore Theodore Roosevelt's life, legacy, and enduring relevance." The submissions by each of the three finalists uniquely capture this lasting legacy.

Image courtesy of Henning Larsen. See our in-depth of Henning Larsen's concept here.

Henning Larsen

Henning Larsen's conce...

Henning Larsen unveils design for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

2020-08-22T13:20:00-04:00

Henning Larsen with Nelson Byrd Woltz have unveiled their design for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The design team is one of the three finalists for a competition held by the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. the other two finalists include Snøhetta and Studio Gang.

Located in the rich landscapes of the North Dakotan Badlands, Henning Larsen's design takes its inspiration from its environment. "There is a unique and awe-inspiring beauty to everything about the Badlands that you simply cannot experience anywhere else," said Michael Sørensen, design lead and Partner at Henning Larsen in a statement. "The landscape only fully unfolds once you are already within it; once you are, the hills, buttes, fields, and streams stretch as far as you can see."

The building is comprised of four volumes that each shape a formal reference to the geography of the Badlands. The focal point of the collection of structures is the Legacy Beacon, a tower that becomes a visi...

Snøhetta unveils gently sloping design for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

2020-08-22T13:20:00-04:00

Snøhetta has unveiled their proposal for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. The firm is competing against Studio Gang and Henning Larsen for the commission.

Snøhetta's proposal is designed as "a journey through a preserved landscape of diverse habitats, punctuated with small pavilions providing spaces for reflection and activity," and is topped by a gently curving roof meant to evoke the rolling hills surrounding the library.

"The Library is the landscape," write the architects, explaining that the building's roof is fully accessible to visitors for day and night occupation. A "generous, covered porch" marks one end of the structure that overlooks nearby valley landscapes while a surrounding Library loop hiking path connects nearby trails and a series of pavilions designed by the architects. The entire ensemble—library, roof, trails, and pavilions—is seen by the designers as one unified, complimentary whole with each component responding to and enriching...

Studio Gang and OLIN release design for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

2020-08-22T13:20:00-04:00

Studio Gang and OLIN's Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is conceived as a basecamp that is embedded in the North Dakota Badlands. The concept is one of three selections by the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation as a part of its design competition for a Library celebrating the life and legacy of one of the country's most remarkable presidents. The other two finalists include Snøhetta and Henning Larsen.

"Our design is inspired by T.R.’s dual love of learning and the outdoors," said Jeanne Gang, Founding Principal at Studio Gang. "As the first Presidential Library attached to a National Park, the project is poised to foster greater understanding, environmental stewardship, and healing in one of North America’s most incredible natural places. Intimately connected with the ecology of the North Dakota Badlands, Basecamp will at once draw people inward for intellectual exchange and direct them outward for physical exploration, allowing them to discover new connectio...