Vesterheim Commons, an impactful new addition to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, IA, recently celebrated its grand opening. The project is featured in number of national publications including Dezeen, Aruitectura Viva, and Archinect.

BNIM served as local architect in collaboration with Snohetta on an addition to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, IA, which provides one of the most extensive collections of Norwegian-American artifacts in the world with 33,000+ artifacts across 12 historic buildings. The project includes event space, exhibit space, digital production, and archive space, designed to be integrated and cohesive with the surrounding landscape. The design acts as an impactful new entrance to the Vesterheim campus of historic buildings and activities. Rather than being setback from adjacent structures, the entry is distinguished and established as a prominent presence on the street. As the Architect of Record, BNIM led the design team to realize the vision of Snohetta and to meet the goals of Vesterheim. With a refined material palette and honest expression of structure, it was important that the details of the project were clearly understood, coordinated, and communicated. A strong collaborative partnership between BNIM and Snohetta and the full integration of the design consultant team and contractor was paramount to rigorously resolving the design strategies.