Snøhetta unveiled the design of a new building and landscape design for the Vesterheim campus in Decorah, Iowa. The campus, which also contains the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, explores the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience. The new 8,000-square-foot building, known as “the Commons,” is set to become the entry point and main gathering space for the cultural campus. Aside from anchoring the site, the intervention also aims to strengthen the site’s connection to the city. The building is scheduled to be completed in the Summer of 2023.
In 2019, Snøhetta designed a master plan for Vesterheim with the purpose of unifying historic structures, outdoor classrooms, and revitalized commercial buildings. The resulting Vesterheim’s Heritage Park offers public green spaces and year-round access to various immigrant-built structures brought from across the Upper Midwest region. The outdoors museum also brings attention to the unexpectedly rugged landscapes of the region. In turn, the Commons is planned to define and anchor the composition and create an intuitive entry point.
A soaring wood canopy defines the image of the Commons building from street level, leading visitors to a reception lobby illuminated through a wood-clad oculus. Flexible upper-level galleries invite visitors to explore the collection of artifacts and artworks while creating connections to the Westby-Torgerson Education Center and Vesterheim’s Folk Art School. The second floor includes spaces for study rooms, digital workspaces, and offices, in addition to the galleries.
The building takes inspiration from Norwegian craft traditions as it employs humble materials to create a warm and welcoming experience. The mass timber wood frame will be fabricated in Minnesota, while bricks for the exterior walls are sourced from Iowa. By using local materials, the intervention strives to honor the culture of Decorah and become an invitation to further explore and appreciate Decorah’s downtown architecture and the region’s verdant landscapes.
Snøhetta’s portfolio includes a large number of cultural projects, such as the redesign and expansion of the Hopkins Center for the Arts in New Hampshire, the expansion of New York’s Museum of Sex in Miami, and the design of a new Public Library branch in New York City. Following the theme of migration, ArchDaily has also curated a list of projects and interventions that investigate the condition of migrants, with a specific focus on the US-Mexico border.
