press release

VMDO Architects attends Virginia Association of College and University Housing Officers- Resident Advisor / Assistant (VACUHO-RA) Conference

November 16 , 2009

Jim Richardson and Frances Lengowski of VMDO Architects led a design workshop with RA's from around the state at the VACUHO-RA Conference on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Hosted by Shenandoah University, the conference brought together RA's and Residence Life Professionals from 27 colleges and universities for a weekend of training and recreation.

VMDO's design workshop exposed participants to the opportunities and challenges of designing a first-year residence hall from scratch. Given modeling materials representing bedrooms, bathrooms, public space, and circulation, participants had to make basic choices about their residence hall. The goal of the design was to promote a sense of community among their students. To do that, participants had to consider the best bedroom arrangements, floor layout, and placement of public space to achieve that goal.

The result was an inventive array of models that captured key ideas about residence hall design. The models gave participants a framework for sharing their best thinking about how to foster a sense of community through the design of a residence hall.

Participants frequently placed public space close to the building entry, inviting their fictional students to encounter a sense of community as they first enter their home building. Participants thought carefully about the arrangement of bedrooms, often resorting to a suite-based arrangement to balance a sense of privacy with a desire to expose students to the larger community.

To learn more about VACUHO, click here.

VMDO Architects was founded in 1976 and is the youngest firm to receive the T. David Fitz-Gibbon Virginia Architecture Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Virginia Society of American Institute of Architects.

For further information, interview, and photography opportunities in reference to this project and VMDO Architects, please contact William Bishop at 434.296.5684, email at bishop@vmdo.com.