Landscape architecture alums involved in two new presidential libraries

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Matt McMahon and Matthew Bird, both Penn State landscape architecture alumni from the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, have woven some blue and white into the two newest presidential libraries honoring Theodore Roosevelt and Barack Obama. McMahon and Bird were heavily involved in the construction of the libraries, demonstrating how civic spaces connect history to the land, the environment and the communities they serve.

McMahon, a 2004 Penn State alum with degrees in landscape architecture and biology, was the project director at the internationally acclaimed design firm Snøhetta who helped lead the landscape and architectural design of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in the rugged Badlands of North Dakota. Bird, a 2008 Penn State alum and current principal at the award-winning Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side.

Though the projects are separated by geography, presidential history and vastly different landscapes, McMahon and Bird share a similar philosophy: modern civic spaces should not simply be buildings to visit, but landscapes that invite people to connect with history, nature and with one another.

“Design is a collective act, and so much of the work at this scale is about connecting people with one another,” McMahon said.

Designing for an extreme environment

For McMahon, his interdisciplinary background in biology and architecture prepared him for the complexity of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Snøhetta was chosen as the firm to design the library following an international competition that challenged leading architecture firms to create a design that reflected Roosevelt’s legacy, with an emphasis on his dedication to environment conservation.

McMahon’s responsibilities as overall director stretched across the library project, from coordinating with the library’s ownership group and Snøhetta’s leadership and local architectural partner JLG, to overseeing the technical demands of designing in an extreme environment. He also worked directly on the landscape’s final documentation and construction administration, including the roof, earthwork, plantings, plaza and boardwalk.

The result is a library in which the landscape is not simply a backdrop to the architecture, but an essential part of it. The building incorporates rammed-earth walls made from local soil and an accessible grassland roof that blends into the surrounding terrain.

“The face of Roosevelt's library is the face of the earth,” said McMahon, now an assistant professor at Cornell University. “For me, this means that the building is understood to be the highly refined earth that it is not a timber beam but a forest somewhere, not a wall but Badlands sediment.”

That idea went beyond the building itself. The team worked to preserve and reuse the native soil already on the site, bring back local Badlands plant species and help restore the surrounding ecosystem.

When the library celebrated its public launch on July 4, 2026, the connection between the building and its environment became particularly tangible. During the donor opening, a summer thunderstorm moved through the Little Missouri River Valley. Rather than retreating indoors, guests gathered at the end of the open-air breezeway, sitting on rocking chairs and decking as lightning illuminated the surrounding landscape.

“Time and experience are major themes in the project,” explained McMahon. “There are Dakota-sized benches and hammocks on the boardwalk where one can lay down and watch the stars and clouds and feel the earth rotate underneath you. On the ascent of the accessible grassland roof, visitors experience growth — from sprout to flower to seed to senescence — playing out across the seasons. Throughout, viewpoints frame the stark geology of the badlands, positioning our time as one thin sedimentary layer among many.”

Landscape architecture in urban planning

Raised in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Bird developed an early connection to the environment. His mother, a biologist, and father, a civil engineer, are both 1980 Penn State alumni. His interest in environmental restoration eventually led to an Eagle Scout project focused on restoring a damaged wetland.

Bird later studied landscape architecture at Penn State, where he developed a foundation in subjects ranging from soil science and stormwater management to art history. He joined MVVA a few years after graduation and eventually became project manager for the landscape team working on the Obama Presidential Center, beginning during the design development phase.

Unlike the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which is surrounded by expansive natural landscapes, the Obama Presidential Center sits within the dense urban fabric of Chicago’s South Side. For Bird and his team, the challenge was to create a space that felt welcoming, accessible and connected to the surrounding community.

“The thing that makes the Obama Center special is that it’s envisioned as a campus, not just a library that celebrates the president,” Bird said. “It’s a space that is meant to be an active part of the community, with areas for play, picnicking, and just strolling through the gardens.”

As project manager, Bird spent years coordinating between clients, community groups, construction managers and contractors. On a high-profile public project with many stakeholders, that required careful communication and collaboration to ensure that the original design vision translated into the built landscape.

For Bird, one of the project’s most meaningful elements is also one of its most approachable: the playground.

The inclusion of a playground within a presidential center reflects the Obama family’s emphasis on creating a place for the broader community, rather than a space focused solely on presidential history.

That vision became especially meaningful to Bird after the center opened to the public.

Although the grand opening on June 18, 2026, featured prominent politicians, celebrities and performances by Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, Bird said the following day, June 19, 2026 — or Juneteenth — offered a more meaningful measure of the project’s success.

“Seeing families and friends out enjoying the park when it opened to the public brought so much joy as I was walking around the site that it made me deeply proud of what the team accomplished,” Bird said. “I hope visitors just enjoy being in the space with other members of the community. It’s a great space for civic interaction, and it’s increasingly important that we create space for human interaction.”

The value of landscape design

McMahon and Bird’s work help to highlight the growing importance of landscape design in public spaces. Both projects go beyond the buildings themselves, showing how the surrounding environment can shape the visitor experience and connect people to the space.

Their careers also demonstrate the range of opportunities available to landscape architects working on significant public projects.

For students interested in pursuing careers in large-scale public projects, both landscape architects emphasize qualities that extend beyond design skills.

McMahon said he encourages students to embrace collaboration, flatten traditional hierarchies and build trust among designers, owners and builders. He also emphasizes the importance of hard work, resilience and developing strong professional relationships with colleagues who can both challenge and support one another.

“Once you get an opportunity like this one, there will be many challenges along the way that require the ability to patiently step back and evaluate the situation before working toward the right solution,” Bird said. “Even once the project is built, quality landscapes take years of growth to truly reach the design you envisioned.”

Learn more about the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and about the Barack Obama Presidential Center.