Designing for Collaboration and Sustainability: The Construction of UVA’s LEED Gold-Certified School of Data Science Building

The design for the building began in January 2020, with collaboration between the architectural teams of Hopkins Architects, VMDO, and the University’s Office of the Architect. Construction was led by Gilbane Building Company, with a guiding philosophy to create a space that fosters collaboration and promotes sustainability. This vision was shared by Phil Bourne, founding dean of the School of Data Science, who emphasized the importance of the building reflecting UVA’s culture of excellence, openness, transparency, interdisciplinarity, and community engagement.

The resulting building is LEED Gold-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and features sustainable design elements such as solar panels on the roof and vents in individual offices. The windows are strategically placed to allow natural light while reducing the need for artificial lighting through active and passive shading systems. In addition to these environmentally-friendly features, the facility includes a wellness area, a lactation space, and all non-gendered restrooms. These amenities make it a diverse and inclusive space for all occupants.

The construction of this building was made possible in part by a historic $120 million gift from Jaffray Woodriff, a private family foundation created by UVA graduate Jaffray Woodriff (Class of 1991). Woodriff expressed his excitement for the future of UVA’s School of Data Science and its contributions to navigating ethical challenges in artificial intelligence (AI) as he looks forward to seeing how AI will shape society in years ahead as an advocate for data science championed by his foundation.