Ground Broken on Historic Restoration, Expansion Project at University of Virginia

University of Virginia stakeholders and faculty recently celebrated the groundbreaking on the expansion project for UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The celebration included site tours to view demolition and historic preservation efforts, as well as a ceremony that featured remarks from university leaders. DPR Construction is serving as general contractor on the project.

Located between the bustling grounds of UVA’s academic campus and the University of Virginia Health System, the McIntire expansion project provides 95,000 square feet of new collaborative spaces to the UVA community. DPR’s work includes the preservation and renovation of an approximately 22,000-square-foot, four-story wing of 1917 Cobb Hall, as well as a new five-story, 74,200-square-foot freestanding facility, Shumway Hall, that marries traditional and contemporary architecture. Designed by RAMSA and Glavé & Holmes Architecture, the project is scheduled to be completed in April 2025 and will include flex classrooms, innovation labs and a student success center to encourage cross-disciplinary intersections and collaborations across the grounds.

Following the interior deconstruction of historic Cobb Hall in August of 2022, DPR’s Field Technology Group completed laser scanning of the structure. The contractor’s Virtual Design & Construction team is coordinating with the design team to capture discrepancies between the existing conditions and the design documents.

DPR’s abatement, demolition and exterior restoration work will be followed by underpinning and interior foundations, which were scheduled for completion last month. Foundation construction for Shumway Hall will begin in January 2023.

Due to the logistically challenging nature of the site and the importance of student and faculty safety, great care is being taken to coordinate material deliveries, student/university services access to adjacent buildings and extensive utility rerouting with university shutdowns.

Photo courtesy of Sara Nicholas