High-profile architecture firm Snøhetta has been commissioned to design the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. The project will rise out of the landscape like a large grassy hill and feature an expansive green roof on which visitors will be able to walk to enjoy the view.
Snøhetta's design for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library was chosen following an architecture competition that came down to Snøhetta, Studio Gang, and Henning Larsen. It will be constructed using locally-sourced and sustainable materials, and sport a large timber ceiling that supports the green roof.
The building's overall design is meant to mitigate the impact of severe winds and ensure that the library remains accessible in all weather. It will also feature additional buildings and pavilions that offer excellent views of the landscape and will be reached by meandering pathways.
"When designing a new project, we think about how we can give more to the site or community than is initially asked of us," says Snøhetta's Craig Dykers. "We integrated the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library into the landscape of the North Dakota Badlands. We still have much to learn about President Roosevelt, and we're looking forward to working with the Medora community and the broader project team to translate this knowledge into an immersive place to learn about T.R.s life and legacy."
While the exterior will allow people to walk on top of it, the interior itself will include educational areas and exhibition areas, plus a large communal fireplace. Snøhetta says it plans "sophisticated energy systems" to enable it to run more efficiently too, though as of writing no further details have been made available.
Once completed, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will become the 15th official Presidential Library, which are repositories for preserving and making available the historical materials of select US Presidents. We've no word yet as to its expected date of completion.
Source: Snøhetta
People can do whatever they want but this is just another analog fossilized dinosaur that will never have lived. The physical can be buried in a salt mine for future study for the half dozed people who might be interested.