For over 35 years, VMDO has collaborated with Chatham Hall, a private boarding school for girls in southern Virginia, to translate mission into built form - crafting spaces that foster academic excellence, personal growth, and community connection. This enduring relationship is rooted in a shared commitment to whole-student development. Through close collaboration with campus leaders, students, and staff, we have helped shape a campus environment that prioritizes each individual’s well-being while reinforcing the Chatham community’s collective values.
Recent efforts have centered on advancing Chatham’s vision for a more connected, wellness-oriented campus. The new Health & Wellness Center is emblematic of this approach - a transformative facility that brings together physical fitness, mental well-being, and social belonging under one roof. Designed to serve both structured programs and spontaneous daily life, the Center includes a fitness facility, group wellness rooms, informal gathering spaces, and access to out-door environments for movement and reflection.
As former Head of School Rachel Connell noted, “This new Health and Wellness Center speaks directly to our mission of educating and empowering healthy young women. It is beautiful and functional, and it also enables our community to live our values each day in an intentional space designed with our program in mind.”
The Center builds on a series of projects – including the Van Voorhis Lecture Hall, which supports performances, meetings, and mindfulness practices in a versatile, light-filled environment, and a new dining commons that fosters choice and connection through a blend of marketplace offerings and family-style traditions.
Supporting these efforts is a broader campus Master Plan, developed in collaboration with Wolf Josey Landscape Architects. With a focus on improving the quality of residential life and outdoor environments, the plan offers a framework for long-term growth across Chatham Hall’s 365-acre campus. It evaluates existing and future needs, aligns programming with site context, and proposes new gathering spaces, a central campus quad, and improved arrival and circulation strategies. Together, these design efforts reflect a deep understanding of Chatham Hall’s aspirations - and a shared belief in the power of the environment to support the development of confident, healthy young women prepared to lead lives of impact and purpose.
