When JLG Architects was founded in 1989 in Grand Forks, ND, executing the global design of a presidential library seemed like a pipe dream. Thirty-seven years later, that small-town firm of two grew into a national pacesetter of more than 230 employee-owners across nine U.S. offices. It wasn’t solely the firm’s North Dakota roots that won the local and global partnership of the TRPL Foundation and Snøhetta, it was also the team’s well-rounded expertise, ranging from the complex design and execution of large-scale libraries and museums to regenerative collegiate campuses, professional arenas, and event centers.
In 2020, JLG Architects became the beating heart of its most historic endeavor, officially named the local Architect of Record for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL) in Medora, ND. The well-versed North Dakotan and national firm became the humble problem-solver and ringleader to hundreds of craftsmen, contractors, and consultants.
When all of America was busy celebrating its 250th birthday, JLG Architects celebrated the culmination of decades of planning and more than six years of design and construction. Upon completion of the 96,000-square-foot design vision by Snøhetta, JLG Architects had the honor of bringing to life one of our nation’s most ambitious architectural and conservation legacies.
“This library has never been about any one person. Don’t be fooled by the name out front. Though it bears Theodore Roosevelt’s name, this library is not about him; it’s about you. If you leave here with nothing more than a better understanding of Theodore Roosevelt, then we will have failed, succeeding where quite frankly, a much less expensive book would have sufficed.”
— Theodore Roosevelt V, great-great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, in remarks at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening Ceremony
“The TRPL is truly a world-class facility, one will that have profound impact beyond Medora and the state of North Dakota through its mission and message, carefully crafted to carry on the legacy of T.R. in the place that helped him heal and shaped the man he would become,” said JLG Architects’ Josh Kerhwald. “As a native North Dakotan, I am extremely proud to have played a role in leading this project with JLG Architects, helping to guide a team of thousands contributing their expertise, skill, and dedication to this once-in-a-lifetime project. There was no shortage of opportunities and challenges to overcome throughout the process, but I believe the completed project is far more than the sum of its parts.”
A Living Library
Built around the three pillars of Leadership, Citizenship, and Conservation, the TRPL is designed to be the only carbon-neutral presidential library in the world.
To ensure the Library hit all of its environmental targets, JLG Architects brought a dedicated team of architects, interior designers, construction specialists, and sustainability experts to ensure every beam, every boardwalk, and every carefully framed view of the Badlands was shaped with purpose — going beyond the traditional presidential library presence to inspire a new generation of active conservation.
TRPL also achieved what no other institution could, reuniting Roosevelt’s scattered papers, artifacts, and storied life together in one place for the first time – in the landscape that shape a man and presidency. Together with an extraordinary team, JLG Architects helped build a “living library” and immersive experience where leadership, conservation, and citizenship inspire every visitor who walks its trails and halls.
Bridging a Global & Local Vision
As Architect of Record, JLG Architects’ role was to serve as the bridge between an international design vision and the realities of building in one of the most rugged, remote, and environmentally sensitive landscapes in the country.
Working alongside international design architect Snøhetta, landscape architect of record Confluence, and construction manager JE Dunn, JLG Architects led the translation of complex design concepts into a buildable, code-compliant reality — navigating zoning, environmental compliance, and the extreme conditions of the North Dakota Badlands every step of the way.
Leading a World-Class Collaboration
A project of this scale required an extraordinary team. JLG coordinated across a diverse network of global and national designers, engineers, contractors, specialists, and craftsmen including:
Winn Construction and Earth Wall Builders, who executed the project’s pioneering rammed-earth walls — two-foot-thick structures built from local soil, sand, and gravel; layers echoing the geology of the Badlands themselves.
Mercer Mass Timber and Seagate Mass Timber, whose cross-laminated timber and glulam systems made the Library the largest mass timber project in North Dakota to date.
NDSU Extension and Resource Environmental Solutions, who helped restore the surrounding 93-acre site with over 400,000 native prairie plugs — resulting in a net increase in grazing area quality and the creation of a local genotype seed bank.
JLG’s partnership with Snøhetta led two furniture fairs that catalyzed custom-crafted thermo-ash rockers by master woodworker Marco Bogazzi.
Snøhetta, JLG, and JE Dunn’s collaboration with Grain Designs for the custom design of conference tables, podiums, signage, and desks crafted with salvaged wood from a copper beech tree Roosevelt planted in the 1890s on his family’s estate at Sagamore Hill.
An innovative low-carbon concrete was developed in partnership with Winn Construction, Beton, Dickinson Ready Mix Co., and Fisher Industries.
Redefining Regenerative Design
JLG’s Sustainability Studio spearheaded one of the most ambitious green building strategies ever attempted: pursuing three concurrent high-level certifications—Full Living Building Certification (LBC), LEED Platinum, and SITES Platinum—simultaneously.
To meet the Living Building Challenge’s rigorous standards, JLG vetted the ingredients of 29,776 building products, advocating directly with manufacturers to eliminate harmful “Red List” chemicals from their supply chains.
TRPL is designed to be the only carbon-neutral presidential library in the world, operating on a “Four Zeros” framework: zero energy, zero carbon, zero water, and zero waste.
The Library’s primary structure is built with a hybrid system of mass timber, a renewable material that stores carbon while reducing embodied carbon. Its cross-laminated timber and custom glue-laminated beams make it the largest mass timber project in North Dakota and one of the largest mass timber institutional structures in the United States.
The Library’s timber is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, and much of it was fabricated off-site to reduce construction waste.
A system of 216 geothermal wells is targeted to provide 105% of the building’s electricity needs.
Rammed-earth walls provide exceptional thermal mass, helping regulate indoor temperatures and reduce reliance on energy-intensive materials.
The 121,000-square-foot living roof is fully walkable and ADA-accessible, designed to include 140,000 native prairie plugs that reduce stormwater run-off and support regional prairie restoration.
The sculptural, geometric form of the roof’s skylights reflect the surrounding terrain and buttes, strategically placed to optimize daylight through all four seasons.
Reclaimed materials with deep historical resonance are woven throughout — including red oak, heart pine, and wood salvaged from a 125-year-old copper beech tree planted by Roosevelt at his family’s Sagamore Hill estate.
Water conservation includes harvesting rainwater, reusing non-potable water, low-flow fixtures, and living roof wetlands that restore the site’s natural hydrology.
Site paths are surfaced with crushed brick aggregate sourced from reject bricks at the Hebron Brick plant (Hebron, ND), and retaining walls and benches are built from reclaimed timber mats.
Free public access to the grounds and accessible pathways reinforce the Library’s role as an active community resource fostering health, well-being, and stewardship of resources.
Work Worth Doing
For a firm tasked with executing what many deemed impossible, especially in the rugged and remote terrain of the Badlands, JLG Architects was honored, considering the historic project “work worth doing.”
“The TRPL appears simple and elegant from the outside but look closer and you’ll see the thoughtful complexity and audacity to push limits throughout,” said JLG Architects’ Beau LaCroix. “Beyond the physical, the Library embodies the spirit of TR — his values of conservation, hard work, pushing boundaries, and beyond. The unique mass timber green roof design, rammed earth walls never seen in ND, three certifications at the highest levels, the Native Plant Project, and storytelling that encourages the visitor to get “In the Arena” of life, and many more things, the TRPL is more than just a simple building. As someone who had the privilege to work through the complexities and bring the ethos of T.R. physically into being, it has been an honor to see the project coalesce into reality.”
The spirit of the JLG team can perhaps best be summed up in Roosevelt’s own words:
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
With one last hurrah to America’s 250th birthday, JLG Architects will spend the remainder of 2026 grateful to have helped preserve Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy while helping shape the next chapter of our nation’s story.
“Standing in that breezeway at the grand opening, watching visitors press their palms against the rammed earth walls and be moved by what they saw and felt — I understood that we had executed something that transcended architecture. People weren’t just inspired; they were changed, unable to fully explain the deep connection they felt between the building and the earth beneath and around them. A thunderstorm rolled through on opening night, and no one moved — they stood in the open-air breezeway in awe, experiencing a moment that could not have happened within the barriers of a traditional structure. This is a destination that will be felt long after it is seen. TRPL became part of JLG, and JLG became part of it — standing as the clearest proof yet of what this team was always built for: a radical dedication to Design Excellence and the conviction to protect a bold vision, even when it meant doing what had never been done before.”
— Michelle Mongeon Allen, CEO, JLG Architects
