University of virginia student health & wellness center

Charlottesville, Virginia

The Student Health & Wellness Center serves a growing student population while introducing programs to promote wellness and preventative practices. The building weaves student life and health together in new and visionary ways. The design encourages a sense of community thanks to many flexible areas for social interaction and individual contemplation. The selection of interior finishes, lighting, furnishings and colors result in an environment more like home than traditional university clinical spaces. The design also meets the highest standards for air and water quality while providing abundant exterior views of nature and the mountains beyond.

The Duda|Paine Architects and VMDO designed project is part of the University of Virginia’s Brandon Avenue Master Plan, a mixed-use neighborhood organized around a network of pedestrian paths and landscaped areas near the campus’s historic Academical Village. The location allows students to easily engage and interact with public programs on the building’s ground floor, including the pharmacy, multi-purpose space, teaching kitchen and living room. Students and staff visiting various departments in the building share these spaces, including the Office of Health Promotion, the Student Disability Access Center, General Medicine, Kinesiology, and Counseling and Psychological Services. The synergy between the outreach programs and physical and mental health services expands the functions of a traditional student health center by creating a destination focused on student wellbeing.