The South Lawn Project, the most ambitious undertaking on the University of Virginia’s Central Grounds in a century, was designed to accommodate the contemporary program requirements of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences while paying respect to the Jeffersonian architecture in the nearby Academic Village. It sees 12,000 student visits every day. It is a 4-5 story building of 114,000 gsf and features a 95-foot-wide terrace across Jefferson Park Avenue that connects the South Lawn Project with the Central Grounds. At the south end of the terrace is a circular plaza that sits atop a Commons Building, with an exterior stair leading to the garden areas below. An extensive landscape design creates a park-like feel while educating students about storm water management.

The Foster Site is also celebrated in the landscape, giving recognition to the home of Kitty Foster, a free black who provided laundry services for the University in the mid 1800’s.

The two main buildings were completed and occupied by students and faculty in January 2010, and the Commons Building and Terrace Crossing were completed around August 2010.