Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
Opening on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL) is designed by Snøhetta as the most regenerative cultural building in the Americas and one of the most ambitious projects pursuing the full Living Building certification, the world’s most rigorous environmental standard.
Located in Medora, North Dakota on a 93-acre site adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the 96,000-square-foot Library is expected to welcome more than 200,000 visitors annually. Serving as Design Architect, Landscape Architect, and Interior Designer, Snøhetta developed a fully integrated approach that unifies architecture, landscape, and narrative into a single continuous experience.
The library is the landscape
Guided by the principle “The Library is the Landscape,” the architecture rises from a butte, its accessible earthen roof spanning 121,000 square feet of living prairie. A nearly mile-long elevated boardwalk threads through the restored landscape at shifting elevations, alternating between panoramic overlooks and ground-level immersion, with outdoor classrooms, reflective spaces, and a suspended netted overlook above the terrain. The accessible boardwalk remains horizontal, at times rising above or dropping below the undulating terrain, drawing attention to the earth. TRPL is the first presidential library accessible by hiking trail, mountain bike, horseback, and car.
Choreographed passageways
Inside the Library, carefully choreographed passageways move visitors between light and dark, echoing Roosevelt’s own journey. Large windows frame historically significant landscapes including views toward Roosevelt’s historic Elkhorn Ranch and his legacy of public lands, while skylights draw natural daylight deep into the galleries. The building includes climate-controlled galleries, an auditorium capable of hosting presidential debates, and robust infrastructure supporting digital collections and emerging sustainable technologies.
Rammed earth and local materials
The material palette is rooted in place: mass timber, reclaimed regional wood, low-carbon concrete, and rammed-earth walls constructed from locally sourced soil whose natural striations echo the surrounding geology. Local fabricators partnered with national experts to deliver novel assemblies, presidential scale, and ambitious timeline. Material selections eliminate harmful Red List chemicals and are detailed for disassembly, welcoming aging and hands-on use over time.
The only Living Certified presidential library
Conservation drives every decision. The Library targets the Living Building Challenge’s full Living Certification alongside the highest levels of LEED and SITES, guided by a “Four Zeros” framework: zero energy, zero water, zero emissions, and zero waste, in addition to full ecological restoration across the 93-acre site.
Upon certification, TRPL will be the only Living Certified presidential library and will be the largest and most complex Living Certified cultural institution in the world. Further, it will be the most remote and least densely populated location ever to pursue Full LBC certification at this scale.
The Native Plant Project, developed with Resource Environmental Solutions and North Dakota State University, has cultivated more than 200 native species across the living roof and restored site, connecting to 3,000 acres of National Grasslands nearby. Annual land management practices including grazing, haying, and controlled burns are integrated into public programming, inviting visitors to become active participants in the life of the land.
Project Team
Project Lead, Design Architect & Design Landscape Architect: Snøhetta
Lead Architects/Designers: Craig Dykers, Michelle Delk, Matthew McMahon, Aaron Dorf, Kurt Marsh, Dan Marty, Prince Langley
Architect of Record: JLG Architects (Johnson Laffen Galloway)
Landscape Architect of Record: Confluence
