VMDO Architects teams with Habitat with Humanity

Working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville to help build a better community, VMDO interns are providing architectural services to provide multi-family housing in Charlottesville, Virginia. The two duplexes are slated to break ground this fall as part of a ten family development on Paton Street, near Cherry Avenue (adjacent to last years Builders Blitz site). Daylight and natural ventilation were key factors of the design, striving to provide comfortable living, at a relaxed budget, vaulted ceilings, and reclaimed spaces make for a unique living experience. Check in from time to time to follow the progress of construction and contact Habitat for Humanity to get involved!

New Community Chalkboard video posted on the Web

The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Speech has just posted a three-minute time lapse film of people exercising the right of free speech at The First Amendment Monument on a rainy day on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall in July 2007. To view this highly entertaining video by Sasha Solodukhina, click here!

Rob Winstead, AIA, VMDO Architects' Director of Sustainable Design, was one of the designers of this historic monument. To learn more about the Community Chalkboard and Podium: A Monument to the First Amendment, click here.

Construction for VMI's new Leadership and Ethics Center has begun

The groundbreaking for Virginia Military Institute's new Leadership and Ethics Center occurred last December. Click Download 971_Internet_VideoSmaller.mov  for our video of the "fly-through." For more information about the groundbreaking, click here.

Pearlington Community Center

VMDO teams up with the Building Goodness Foundation to design and build a new Community Center for Pearlington, Mississippi

From a safe place in Charlottesville, we watched the catastrophe unravel on August 29, 2005, when the eye of Katrina made a direct hit on New Orleans. As the news reports exposed the tremendous wounds along the Gulf Coast, we wondered what could we do to help. When the first group of BGF volunteers returned to Charlottesville with stories of families living in makeshift tents along the mud soaked coast, we feared that this small rural community was at risk of being forgotten. A community without hope would have many challenges that federal assistance could not address.

Inspired by BGF’s commitment to help rebuild the small Mississippi community, VMDO assembled the design team of 2rw Consulting Engineers and Fox & Associates to design a new community center.  BGF’s successful shed project in the days directly following the storm attracted a group in Weston, MA to join the team as fundraisers for the new center.

On the site of the former Community Center, the team envisioned a new 6200 SF single-story structure constructed from renewable and recycled materials. With program space extending into the landscape, the community will enjoy opportunities for community gardens and play courts, screened outdoor space, a large community meeting space & commercial kitchen, youth and senior program space and leasable office space which will generate revenue to support the operations costs.

With preliminary design completed in end of October, the design team is excited to make their second trip to Pearlington - to present to the County and the community members who contributed in the first meeting in June.

The VHA highlights three of VMDO Architects' arenas at UVa

At the Venue Hospitality Association's National Collegiate Conference held in Charlottesville, Virginia on May 21-23, 2007, the organization highlighted three of VMDO Architects' projects for the University of Virginia: The John Paul Jones Arena, Scott Stadium, and Davenport Field.  Check out what they said about our work by clicking here.

Charlottesville announces Market Value Design Competition

The City of Charlottesville, Virginia has announced that it is sponsoring Market Value, a design competition that will help the city proactively investigate and establish the best alternatives for downtown development.  Registration begins on June 21, 2007 and final submissions must be delivered by September 14, 2007.  To learn more about the contest, please visit http://www.marketvaluecompetition.org.

AIA Week Film Festival

As part of AIA Week in April, Dina Sorensen of VMDO Architects has organized a week-long film festival in Charlottesville to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architecture. It is just one of many events around town during the week-long festival. The program will feature Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, Sheds by Jane Crawford and Robert Fiore, and two Peter Greenaway shorts: Windows and H is for House.

OFFscreen has also worked with VMDO Architects in this week of events, and Our Daily Bread will be the final film that week. For more information on the week's schedule please visit the AIA's Central Virginia events site.

Architecture in the Schools

On Friday, April 6th, the Central Virginia AIA will open Architecture week with an exhibit of 150 years of Architecture in Central Virginia.  In preparation for their part in the exhibit, the students of Charlottesville Elementary School's c.l.a.s.s. program are submitting their votes for the project most needed in our community.

In conjunction with City & Albemarle planning staff, UVA Architecture school students, and Charlottesville Architects & Landscape Architects, six elementary school design teams will develop their dream project in a 3-day work session April 10th, 11th &12th.

March 30th - the polls are still open......but the early results from Burnley Moran Elementary School show the Recycle Center as a favorite.

April 2nd - the results are in from Johnson Elementary. Voters show a strong interest in the Race Track - - but overall - - the Recycle Center remains in the lead. 

April 3rd - The  polls are closed, and with the Venable Elementary's voters numbers tallied, it appears that the leading  project the Recycle Center has been upset. 

Voters have chosen the ZOO. 

April 10th - Venable & Greenbrier students lead planners to concluded that the site at Pen Park would serve the zoo animals and the community better than the downtown site between Water and Second Streets. They reviewed issues such as transportation, resource conservation, zoning & neighborhood concerns and decided that the elephants & monkeys would enjoy a more natural setting.

Live Arts to donate proceeds to the Building Goodness Foundation

Live Arts has designated Building Goodness Foundation as the recipient of proceeds from its May 9th production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."  Every dollar from your ticket purchase will be donated to Building Goodness' efforts to build a Community Center in Pearlington, Mississippi.  With a $50 donation, you will receive admission to the pre-production reception, Gulf Coast photo exhibit, and the performance.

VMDO Architects is proud to sponsor the Building Goodness Foundation's efforts to rebuild the hurricane-ravaged of community of Pearlington. 

To learn more about the project, please visit http://www.buildinggoodness.org/national.php#pearlington

For more information about Live Art's presentation of "A Streetcar Named Desire", please visit
http://www.livearts.org/php-bin/productionArchive.php?id=73

Clemson Core Campus Master Plan

Click on the Link below to View a Web Presentation of Clemson University's Future Core Campus, featuring a new Student Union, new Dining Facilities, and new Student Housing.

Download 012507_clemsonmovie_b.swf