One month after the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation revealed a shortlist of prospective designers for the project, located in the North Dakota badlands, Snøhetta has been named the winner. The firm’s design features a subterranean structure, built using locally sourced timber, that gently rises and undulates from the rugged landscape as a tribute to the 26th U.S. president’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Slated to become a year-round tourist destination, the library will also offer observation pavilions overlooking Theodore Roosevelt National Park and a “Library Loop” that links to nearby trails.

“When designing a new project, we think about how we can give more to the site or community than is initially asked of us,” says Snøhetta founding partner Craig Dykers, whose team flew to the nearby town of Medora to examine the site and meet with local stakeholders. “We still have much to learn about President Roosevelt, and we’re looking forward to working with the Medora community and the broader project team to translate this knowledge into an immersive place to learn about his life and legacy.” The Foundation aims to raise $100 million by next year to fund the project, which will open by 2025.

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For nearly 30 years, Surface has been a leading authority in contemporary design, applying our discerning eye to the worlds of architecture, art, design, fashion, and travel, with a focus on how these fields shape and are shaped by culture. We’ve also taken pride in introducing our readers to inimitable products, from furniture and homewares to fashion and textiles. Products with an ethos of craftsmanship and originality have always earned our endorsement. On that note, we’re thrilled to share that Design Dose, our new shoppable platform for covetable, special-edition, and must-have pieces of design, launches on October 1.

For the design community, this new initiative will provide a platform to showcase exceptional work and connect with a passionate audience who appreciates the nuances of quality and craftsmanship. For our loyal readers, this means you’ll have an entirely new portal to discover up-and-coming creative talent while gaining access to limited-release products from brands you already love. Look out for offerings from avant-garde fashion designers, small-batch furniture makers, innovative textile studios, fantastical sculptor sensations, and more.

Beyond curation, Design Dose will offer an elevated experience not typical of traditional e-commerce. Expect incisive product write-ups, designer Q&As, and studio visits from our discerning editors, lively visual treatments, and videos that offer a behind-the-scenes look at how leading designers bring ideas to life. Sign up to be one of the first to know when Design Dose launches. Want to see your product featured on Design Dose? Get in touch to be one of our exclusive launch partners.

When: Sept. 22–Oct. 25

Where: Church of San Carlo al Lazzaretto, Milan

What: Conceived during the Covid-19 lockdown and staged for the history-laden church of San Carlo al Lazzaretto in Milan, “The Sky in a Room” sees professional vocalists taking turns to perform an ethereal arrangement of singer Gino Paoli’s 1960 classic “Il Cielo in una Stanza” repeatedly alongside the San Carlino church organ. Kjartansson intends for the performance to be read as a neverending lullaby for the quarantine, when we collectively dreamt of new ways to be together, and a tribute to those lost during previous epidemics.

“‘Il Cielo in una Stanza’ is the only song I know that deals with the fundamental nature of visual art, which is its ability to transform space,” explains Kjartansson, who was commissioned by Fondazione Nicola Trussardi. “I love how it describes the power of the imagination, put on fire by love, to transform the world around us. It’s a poem about how love and music can make a small confined space explode, letting in the sky and the trees.”

John Whelan, creative director of the artist collective The Guild of Saint Luke, has refashioned a French brasserie in London’s St. James neighborhood. Taking cues from Ricardo Bofill’s triumphant La Fábrica, an abandoned cement factory outside Barcelona the architect transformed into his studio and home, the interior of Maison Francois London features arched recesses and terracotta-hued walls. Chef Matthew Ryle, an alum of the buzzy fashion hangout Isabel, turns out brasserie classics such as ravioli dauphine and Reblochon gougères.⁠ ⁠

As the Guild of Saint Luke specializes in restoring historic brasseries, no detail has been overlooked. Two highlights: the walnut banquettes, whose latticed backs nod to the pews of Germany’s modernist Maria Heimsuchung church, and Whelan’s custom-fabricated clock made from bronze and nickel with side grills mimicking the iconic Rolls Royce emblem. ⁠

Six months into the Covid-19 pandemic and workplaces are still sitting half-empty. According to Brivo, a company that provides cloud-based access-control systems for more than 50,000 workplaces, only 56 percent have been “unlocked,” referring to when someone uses their credentials to enter the premises. Brivo calculated that percentage as the number of daily unique users compared to the pre-Covid daily average in February. The data shows that gyms, restaurants, and transit were hit the hardest, as well as large cities—New York City topped the list with an 80 percent decrease in daily commercial property usage in early March only to be surpassed by San Francisco afterward.

While the data’s scope is limited to Brivo customers, it still paints a detailed picture of how commercial property usage has declined in tandem with layoffs and work-from-home policies—and forecasts economic trends to come. “The significance of these declines cannot be overstated,” says Brivo president and CEO Steve Van Till. “Our customer base very closely matches the demographics of the U.S. business population with respect to size and revenue distribution, which means that these drops in traffic will soon be reflected in the economic data for U.S. business.”

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Eyevan 7285’s concept is “Eyewear as a fashion item.” The collection is known for its timeless design, Japanese craftsmanship, and creativity, employing vintage elements and today’s foremost technologies. Subtle details such as titanium nose pads, arabesque details, and striking flat lenses define the collection.

Surface Says: Eyevan 7285 produces eyewear that brings many sources of inspiration—from old-school spectacles to architectural structures—into a single, timeless design. The classic silhouettes double as instant wardrobe staples.

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