Photo Attributions

General Project Information

Architectural Credit:

Design Architect:  Aidlin Darling Design
Architect of Record: VMDO Architects, P.C.
Landscape Architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Project Substantial Completion Date: 9/1/2024
Program type(s): Education - College/University (campus-level)
Total Site Area (gross sq. ft): 99,115
Total Building Area (gross sq. ft): 55,184
Project substantial completion date: 9/1/2024
Climate zone: 4A
Project site: Previously developed land, Historic structure or district
Project team: Design Architect: Aidlin Darling Design
Architect of Record: VMDO Architects, P.C.
Landscape Architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz
Structural Engineer: Fox + Associates
MEP Engineers: AEI/Affiliated Engineers Inc.
Civil Engineers: TRC
Lighting Design: Apeiro Design and Pivotal Lighting Design
AV Consulting: Apeiro Design
IT/Security Consulting: NV5
Programming: Brightspot Strategy
Code Consulting: Jensen Hughes
Food Service Consulting: Tipton Associates
Sustainability Consultant: RE4M
Specifications: Long Green Specs
Hardware Specifications: Brown’s Lock & Safe
Vegetated Roof Consulting: Studio Sustena
Contractor: Hourigan

Project Overview:
The Contemplative Commons is a first-of-its-kind, pan-university center dedicated to building student resilience through contemplative practice, community connection, and research. An integral living bridge connects student residences to the Academical Village, weaving the Commons into the heart of the historic Jeffersonian grounds and the daily life of the students.
Biophilic at its core, the design forges rich, multisensory connections between the building’s studios, courtyards, gardens, and the adjacent Dell, a biodiverse wildlife habitat. Natural materials reinforce these connections: wood columns and soffits provide visual warmth, while stone walls bestow a tactility and material connection to the fieldstone flanking The Dell.

Submission portfolio