Along with earthen walls, the mass timber structure on the new structure makes it look like “it’s always been there.”
The 95,000-square-foot museum that just opened right outside of Medora, ND looks over the national park bearing the name of the 26th president. The use of natural materials makes it appear as part of the landscape, say its designers.
According to Snohetta, the architectural firm that designed it, the structure conforms to its site while also standing out. It told the online design website Dezeen, “It’s a fairly prominent location, and we didn’t want to create an alien creature that seemed as though it had flown in.”
Beneath the hill-like green roof that blends into the landscape, the structure features exposed mass-timber structural elements, with some walls covered in gypsum to accommodate the gallery programming, Dezeen reported.
Wood is also employed for screens used to protect an internal breezeway from wind, while the orientation of the building allows the most efficient lighting from the windows on the facades and through the skylights.
“The earth and soil on the roof is like a sod house that’s recognizable by everybody,” Snohetta founding partner Craig Dykers told Dezeen. “So all of those things are very familiar in a building that is completely unfamiliar to them.
“Essentially, we designed it the same way a person who’s lived here for generations would.”
Are you interested in learning more about Mass Timber? Be sure to check out the Mass Timber & Prefab sessions being presented at the IWF Education Conference hosted during IWF 2026.
