Snøhetta Roosevelt Presidential Library Design: Landscape-Integrated Architecture for Cultural Institutions

The Design Competition Process for the Roosevelt Presidential Library

Architectural design competitions for major cultural institutions represent a rigorous evaluation process that tests how architecture firms approach complex programmatic requirements, site constraints, and symbolic meaning. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library competition, held in 2020, exemplifies how selection committees weigh design vision against practical delivery capability when commissioning buildings of national significance.

The competition began with an initial pool of 40 applicant firms from around the world. This field was narrowed through a multi-stage evaluation process that assessed portfolio experience, design philosophy, and team composition. Three finalists emerged from this selection process: Sn\u00f8hetta, Studio Gang, and Henning Larsen representing three distinct approaches to architecture at the intersection of landscape, history, and public engagement.

Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process

The jury evaluated each proposal against five primary criteria that reflect best practices for cultural building procurement:

1. Site response — how the design engaged with the Badlands topography and microclimate
2. Programmatic clarity — the functional organization of exhibit spaces, archives, and public amenities
3. Sustainability strategy — energy performance targets and material lifecycle considerations
4. Symbolic expression — how the architecture communicated Roosevelt’s legacy of conservation and civic leadership
5. Delivery capability — the team’s experience completing complex institutional projects on schedule and budget

Each finalist team traveled to Medora, North Dakota, during the summer of 2020 to survey the site firsthand and meet with local community members, stakeholders, and residents. This on-site engagement proved critical to understanding the extreme climatic conditions of the Badlands and the cultural expectations of the region.

Sn\u00f8hetta’s Competitive Advantage

Sn\u00f8hetta’s unanimous selection reflected the jury’s confidence in the firm’s ability to deliver a design that harmonizes building and landscape. The firm has extensive experience with cultural and civic projects that prioritize public engagement and environmental stewardship. Past projects such as the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the SFMOMA expansion, and the Lascaux IV International Centre for Cave Art demonstrate a consistent design philosophy centered on accessibility and contextual sensitivity.

Key factors that distinguished Sn\u00f8hetta’s proposal included a sophisticated approach to public library design that prioritized landscape connectivity, a clear strategy for using locally sourced materials, and an energy concept that aligned with Roosevelt’s conservation legacy. The firm committed to working with a North Dakota-based architect for local delivery, ensuring that regional construction knowledge informed the project execution.

Landscape-Integrated Architecture in the North Dakota Badlands

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is located in the Badlands of western North Dakota, a landscape of dramatic eroded buttes, prairie grasslands, and the Little Missouri River valley. Roosevelt himself spent significant time in this region, and his experiences here profoundly shaped his conservation policies as president. Sn\u00f8hetta’s design responds to this landscape history by treating the building not as an object placed on the site but as an extension of the terrain itself.

The Library Loop Concept

Sn\u00f8hetta conceptualized the library as a journey through the landscape rather than a single enclosed structure. The design features a gently sloping roof that looks northeast across the National Park toward the Elkhorn Ranch, Roosevelt’s former cattle ranch, far in the distance. This orientation creates a visual and symbolic connection between the library and the historical settings in the Little Missouri River valley.

• Primary building — houses exhibit galleries, archive storage, research facilities, and administrative spaces with a green roof that blends into the prairie grade
• Small pavilions — scattered across the site at strategic viewpoints, providing spaces for quiet reflection, group education, and scenic overlooks
• Connected paths — a network of trails linking the pavilions to each other and to the existing Maah Daah Hey Trail system that traverses the Badlands
• Native landscaping — restored prairie vegetation that reinforces regional ecology and reduces irrigation demand

The design functions in harmony with the unique ecology of the region and expresses the conservation ethos for which Roosevelt is remembered. Visitors experience the building as a sequence of spaces that unfold across the landscape rather than as a single monumental gesture. This approach draws inspiration from bio-inspired high-rise design principles that prioritize site-responsive form-making over generic typologies.

Pavilion Program Distribution

Sustainable Material Selection and Energy Performance

The Roosevelt library project sets new benchmarks for sustainable design in the Great Plains region. Sn\u00f8hetta’s material strategy prioritizes locally sourced and renewable materials that minimize embodied carbon while supporting the regional economy. The energy systems are designed to achieve net-zero operational carbon, setting a precedent for cultural institutions in remote locations.

Material Sourcing and Embodied Carbon

The material palette reflects the geological character of the Badlands while meeting contemporary performance standards. The design team evaluated each material category against embodied carbon data, local availability, and durability under extreme weather conditions.

• Local stone — quarried from North Dakota sources to reduce transport emissions and establish a visual connection to regional geology
• Mass timber — sourced from sustainably managed forests in the northern United States, providing a renewable structural alternative to steel and concrete
• Low-carbon concrete — specified with supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag to reduce embodied carbon by up to 40 percent compared with conventional mixes
• Recycled steel — used for structural framing where mass timber is not feasible, with minimum 90 percent recycled content

The approach to timber office buildings and cultural structures has advanced significantly in recent years, and the Roosevelt library applies these lessons to a remote, climate-challenged site. The use of cross-laminated timber and glulam reduces structural weight, accelerates construction timelines, and provides a warm interior aesthetic that complements the exhibit content.

Energy Systems and Climate Resilience

The library’s energy strategy addresses three challenges specific to the Badlands location: extreme temperature swings between seasons, persistent wind exposure, and limited access to utility infrastructure.

1. Geothermal exchange — a ground-source heat pump system uses the stable subsurface temperatures of the Badlands bedrock to provide heating and cooling with minimal electricity demand
2. Photovoltaic array — rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels sized to meet the library’s annual energy load, with battery storage for backup power during grid interruptions
3. High-performance envelope — insulated wall and roof assemblies that exceed current energy code requirements by at least 30 percent, reducing heating and cooling loads
4. Wind mitigation — building orientation and aerodynamic roof profiles that reduce wind loads and prevent snow accumulation around entrances

The design mitigates the impact of wind and other climatic factors so the library remains accessible in all seasons. This is particularly important for a destination cultural institution in a region where winter conditions can be severe.

Design Philosophy and Visitor Experience

Craig Dykers, AIA, a founding partner of Sn\u00f8hetta, articulated the firm’s approach: “When designing a new project, we think about how we can give more to the site or community more than is initially asked of us. We integrated the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library into the landscape of the North Dakota Badlands.” This philosophy of exceeding programmatic expectations through contextual generosity defines the visitor experience.

The Narrative Arc of the Visit

The library experience is structured as a narrative journey that mirrors Roosevelt’s own relationship with the Badlands. Visitors begin at the main building, where introductory exhibits establish Roosevelt’s biography and his connection to North Dakota. From there, they venture outward along the library loop trails, encountering pavilions that each explore a chapter of his legacy.

• Arrival — orientation at the welcome center with views across the prairie toward the primary building
• Immersion — descent into the main exhibit hall, where multimedia displays chronicle Roosevelt’s conservation policies and progressive era reforms
• Exploration — journey along exterior trails to the pavilions, each focusing on a specific theme such as the creation of the national park system, the Panama Canal, or the Square Deal domestic policies
• Reflection — final return to the contemplative nook pavilion for personal reflection and journaling

The design is understood to be not merely the buildings but the buildings, pavilions, paths, and landscape working together as a unified whole. This integrated approach ensures that visitors understand Roosevelt’s trials and triumphs in dialogue with the landscapes that shaped him.

Long-Term Legacy for Cultural Building Design

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library represents a model for how cultural institutions can achieve ambitious environmental performance goals while creating deeply meaningful visitor experiences. Key lessons for building professionals include the value of integrated design processes that bring landscape architects, ecologists, and exhibit designers together from the earliest project stages, the importance of material transparency and embodied carbon accounting in specification decisions, and the potential for remote sites to achieve net-zero energy performance through careful passive design strategies.

As architectural practice continues to evolve toward greater environmental responsibility and contextual sensitivity, projects like the Roosevelt library demonstrate that the most compelling design solutions emerge when architects treat the landscape not as a backdrop but as an active participant in the building’s identity and performance.