Contemplative Commons at the University of Virginia

The Contemplative Commons is a pan-university center dedicated to building student resilience through contemplative practice, community connection, and research. Biophilic at its core, the design creates multisensory connections between the building’s studios, courtyards, gardens, and the adjacent Dell, a biodiverse wildlife habitat. Natural materials such as wood columns and soffits provide visual warmth, while fieldstone walls create tactile continuity with the walls flanking The Dell. An integral bridge creates a cross-campus route from the student residence halls to the Academical Village, weaving the Commons into the heart of the historic Jeffersonian Grounds and daily student life.