The University of Virginia’s new Contemplative Commons is a facility perhaps unprecedented in higher education. For this project, the University envisioned a blend of academic classroom, research laboratory, immersive learning space, event space, innovation hub, and serene contemplative spaces usually relegated to a campus chapel or pristine garden. In collaboration with Aidlin Darling Design, Contemplative Commons curates dynamic experiences through tranquil connections between interior spaces and exterior gardens, all delicately woven into the historic fabric of Grounds.

The project holds a prominent place in the Dell, an 11-acre hybrid landscape that resurrects a buried stream and turns unused land into state-of-the-art stormwater terrain and forebay. Design of the Dell was completed by Nelson Byrd Woltz and VMDO in 2004.

The pan-university program will support a holistic approach to research by integrating data gathering measures for monitoring brain function, heart rate, and other metrics in real-time natural settings. The program’s flexibility supports a range of university services including student classes, faculty-staff programs, patient interventions, research programs, and more.

Similar to the new Student Health Center, the Contemplative Commons builds relationships across disciplines, schools, and social sectors to support synergistic encounters that foster new ideas and innovative outcomes. Biophilic at its core, the Commons marries scientific research and personal respite to create a generator of well-being on Grounds.