Vesterheim Commons / Snøhetta

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Text description provided by the architects. Snøhetta and Vesterheim have completed a new building and landscape for the storied Vesterheim campus in Decorah, Iowa, housing the largest collection of Norwegian-American cultural artifacts in the world. A new 8,000-square-foot building, known as The Commons, and a collection of outdoor spaces, establish a dynamic new entry point and gathering space for a cultural campus containing a museum, folk art school, and other community-oriented facilities. Aside from anchoring the site, the new Vesterheim Commons project threads together Vesterheim’s Heritage Park with Water Street, the city’s main thoroughfare. Most importantly, the new design provides a contemporary forum for the cultural center and community to look forward to their future.