VMDO Architects

VMDO Architects, along with several other Charlottesville, Virginia, firms and organizations, joined with the Building Goodness Foundation to assist the residents of Pearlington, Mississippi in rebuilding their community after the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Katrina.

The Building Goodness Foundation is a nonprofit volunteer-based foundation that provides construction services to improve lives and build community worldwide. At the core of its mission is the belief that skilled craftsmen and dedicated volunteers can, through the building of public structures, help communities worldwide to prosper and thrive.

Building Goodness recruits teams of construction volunteers to use their skills to help people in need locally and internationally - from renovating houses in central Virginia to building clinics, schools and infrastructure in developing countries. In addition to construction services, BGF offers professional and technical expertise to organizations working to improve the well-being of people in the developing world. Groups operating in challenging locations often lack the expertise to design effective buildings to serve their objectives. Building Goodness professional volunteers aid with site selection, design, planning, engineering, and construction management.

The BGF Public Service Fellows worked with VMDO Architects on design development and construction documents for a new community center for the hurricane-devastated town of Pearlington, Mississippi. The community center has enabled the community members to once again come together for social and civic activities, including regular town meetings, which are a vibrant part of the fabric of its culture and society.