Jefferson Scholars Foundation

Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows Jefferson Scholars Foundation at The University of Virginia

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation

The fundamental mission of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation is to identify, attract, and nurture individuals that possess qualities of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. The Jefferson Fellowship, based solely on merit, is awarded to Ph.D., M.B.A., and J.D. candidates that show promise as scholars, teachers, public servants, and business leaders.

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Exterior View of Jefferson Fellows Center

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

The Focal Point For An Academic Community The Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows serves as the home of the program’s academic community. Fellows involved in the planning of the project stressed the importance of a design that would be intensely forward-looking and fresh in its solutions and materials, but also serve in the spirit of Jefferson’s architecture and academic ambitions.

Through its rich interplay of spaces, the Center is designed to facilitate conversation, study, research, and teaching – vital components of an intellectual community. It is meant to act as a source of inspiration, a place of interaction, and a locus for the exchange of ideas.

The Center supports very different modes of operation: daily use of the Commons and Library Reading Room allows for brown bag lunches and informal gatherings at a community table, yet a simple reconfiguration in furniture can transform the room for a symposium lecture, thesis defense, film screening, or formal reception.

Abundant windows and clerestory glazing offer transparency to the courtyard and the additional wings so that Fellows are aware of their colleagues and can engage them in conversation or gain momentum for their own scholarship.

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Jan & Rick Kellogg Reading Room

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Creating A Place Of Interaction The Center’s three wings are carefully situated around a central courtyard in order to create a quiet, protected outdoor space and allow occupants to freely move between inside and outside in the tradition of the University of Virginia’s buildings and landscapes.

A connecting colonnade creates an arrival sequence first through the courtyard, then into the surrounding buildings.

The Foundation office suite, while maintaining a presence on the courtyard and completing its sense of enclosure, remains somewhat detached from the Fellows’ academic spaces in order to recognize their autonomy and foster a sense of ownership.

This sense of ownership is further enhanced in the building’s detailing: modern versions of traditional shutters can be moved easily into position by Fellows on the interior of the reading room space to control the southern sun and customize the study area. Fellows are encouraged to interact with the design itself as well as with their colleagues.

The buildings are zoned from active to quiet as they move from Maury Avenue (along which is the larger event Commons space) to the most secluded part of the site (which houses the library reading room). Terraces and open-air balconies just outside the Fellows’ spaces connect directly to the outdoors.

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Courtyard + Exterior View of Jan & Rick Kellogg Reading Room

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Sensitivity to Materials, Resources + Energy

In order to create a nurturing academic community, the new building and grounds for the Foundation and Jefferson Fellows utilize long-lasting, natural building materials from regional producers and suppliers. Natural wood windows and structural decking add warmth to the interiors while local slate shingles, soapstone columns, and bluestone paving are used in inventive new ways while also instilling a sense of permanence.

The Center’s environmental consciousness further enhances the quality of the academic community. The LEED Gold building’s sustainable features include geothermal wells and ground-source heat pumps that support a radiant floor system and fan-less valanceconvector units for quiet heating and cooling. Low-impact bio-retention basin and belowground infiltration reduce storm water run-off and improve water quality. The building’s roof forms shed rainwater to the courtyard interior and collect it in an underground cistern that irrigates the lawn and garden plantings.

High performance windows reduce heat gain and energy loss, while native plants and trees restore the grounds to a wooded setting. Through the careful use of materials, resources, and energy, the building facilitates an active academic environment while itself becoming a source of inspiration.

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Jefferson Fellows Center Balcony

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

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University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Exterior

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Balcony

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Shared Offices / Study Carrels

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Foundation Staff Offices

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Large Meeting Room / Board Room

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Courtyard + Breezeway

Jan & Rick Kellogg Reading Room

University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Foundation Graduate Center for Jefferson Fellows

Learning Space Programs

Second Floor

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Second Floor Plan

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1 6 First Floor Plan

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VMDO Architects vmdo.com | 434.296.5684 200 E Market St Charlottesville, VA 22902 1200 18th Street NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036

For more information on Higher Education work please contact: David Oakland, FAIA, LEED AP oakland@vmdo.com Joe Atkins, AIA, LEED AP BD+C atkins@vmdo.com