Shared Vision, Smart Solutions: A Campus Landmark, Reimagined and Expanded

When the University of Virginia first began planning for an expansion project that would accommodate the growth of its McIntire School of Commerce a decade ago, one overriding goal quickly crystalized: to create a space for students that was truly one of a kind and special. Planners envisioned a complex that would be a centerpiece of not only UVA’s historic School of Commerce, but the entire campus.

As the University brought the design and construction team on board and the project plan began to take shape, a trio of themes emerged that would ultimately serve as the “north star” guiding all their decision making.

First, they wanted to create a student-centric space, in which every design and budget decision prioritized attention in areas that would be most used by or impactful to students on the campus. Secondly, the spaces should be both highly functional and flexible today and in the future. And thirdly, the space should be inclusive and inviting for anyone visiting or spending time there.

This spring, the decade-long vision became reality with the completion of a UVA McIntire Expansion project. The architectural team of Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) and Glavé & Holmes Architecture worked in close collaboration with DPR, key trade partners and the owner to deliver the unique two-building complex that marries traditional and contemporary architecture in a cohesive space designed to meet the school’s needs for years to come.

Featuring flex classrooms, innovation labs and a student success center, the project encompasses a fully renovated 23,000-sq.-ft. four-story wing of UVA’s historic, circa-1917 Cobb Hall, along with a new five-story, 86,200-sq.-ft. free-standing structure, Shumway Hall. The two buildings are connected by extensive site improvements that include a shared plaza at ground level, ADA ramps, pedestrian pathways and gardens. Together they offer a total of nine technology-friendly classrooms, 19 group study rooms and more than 60 offices.

A focal point of the Cobb Hall restoration is double-height Solarium. Capped by a historic skylight that was uncovered during construction, the new design integrated a new laylight system into the ceiling that effectively replicated the skylight and maintained the aesthetic, at less cost and impact to the structure. It also features a full production studio, cluster classrooms, updated energy efficiency features, restored historic windows, and more.

Juxtaposing that historic preservation, Shumway Hall is defined by its modern features and finishes, including a grand classroom (the largest for the School of Commerce) with a motorized operable partition for flexibility, two monumental staircases, intricate lighting systems and an array of high-end finishes and features including curved walls, custom millwork, and acoustic plaster ceilings.

Delivering this uniquely challenging project required a high-performing and highly collaborative design and construction team that worked in lock step with the owner’s rep and each other to innovate cost effective, efficient solutions that kept the project’s end goals at the forefront.

In addition to the hurdles of performing work on a busy site on an active campus and the myriad issues associated with renovating a 100+ year old building, the team was delivering the project amidst a global pandemic, a major leadership change at the school, and as the School of Commerce’s undergraduate program was being expanded (adding more future end users.)

Located in the heart of UVA grounds, the site was tight with little laydown space and a steep slope. Combined with deep excavation only a few feet away from a historic building, the team needed a different approach.

"We created an atypical construction phasing plan by doing the exterior renovation of historic Cobb Hall first instead of last," said Nicholas Pauley, who served as the project manager. "Then we could begin mass excavation for the new construction." The team devised four methods of shoring including wood lagging, hydraulic bracing, concrete secant piles and underpinning. “Together, this provided the necessary supports, and allowed us to manage the site’s constraints and maintain project momentum," Pauley added.

DPR, the design team, trade partners and the owner collectively overcame a host of other challenges and devised alternative approaches that increased constructability and controlled project cost while always elevating their goals of a student centric, flexible, functional and inviting space. Just a few include:

Through these and many other creative solutions, the team successfully achieved the project’s key goals and delivered an expansion project that is a source of immense community and campus pride at UVA.