Contemplative Commons
The Contemplative Commons building is a new 4-story academic building currently under construction on UVA grounds. The facility, sited between the Dell Pond and the School of Education, will serve as the new home of the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center. The Contemplative Commons was designed to bring students and faculty from different schools and disciplines together, foster collaboration and experiment with new ways of teaching and learning. The goal of this new facility and program is to enable student flourishing through transformative deep learning, innovative collaborations across multiple schools, the integration of learning and research to constitute a living laboratory, immersive engagement, and integration with nature. The building will provide open, highly adaptable spaces that can be configured to accommodate small and large groups, workshops and lectures, research, and physical activity. The 57,000 square foot building includes studios of varying sizes for academic and co-curricular contemplative activities as well as research spaces for in-context research. Specialized immersive spaces are designed to provide unique sensory environments for learning. Plentiful gardens and green spaces on the exterior are designed to connect users to nature at each level of the building. The south wing of the building incorporates a roof-top bridge on the third level connecting to pedestrian bridges extending east across Emmet Street and west to McCormick Road Dorms, creating a new ADA connection from Newcomb Plaza to west grounds residence halls.
Construction began in November 2021 and completion is planned for winter 2024.
Resources
- Contemplative Sciences Center Website
- VMDO, Contemplative Commons
- UVA Today, Contemplative Commons Reaches Construction Milestone
Construction Alerts
- Contemplative Commons — alert 22 — February 12-28, 2024 — Dell Pond East sidewalk affected
- Contemplative Commons — alert 21
- Contemplative Commons — alert 20
- Contemplative Commons — alert 19
- Contemplative Commons — alert 18
- Contemplative Commons — alert 17
- Contemplative Commons — alert 16
- Contemplative Commons — alert 15
- Contemplative Commons — alert 14
- Contemplative Commons — alert 13
- Contemplative Commons — alert 12
- Contemplative Commons — alert 10
Contact information
Sarita Herman, Supervisory Team Leader
Office: (434) 982-2996
smh2ne@virginia.edu
Ted Nelson, Construction Administration Manager
Office: (434) 422-1320
rtn7c@virginia.edu
Kellen Renner-Thomas, Project Coordinator
Office: (434) 400-9511
krennerthomas@virginia.edu