UVA Darden to Break Ground on Residential Student Housing

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business will hold a celebratory ground-breaking in October to mark the upcoming construction of a major project that will provide new, modern residences for students on School Grounds.

The project features two buildings with a combined 218 apartments – including studios and one, two and three bedroom units – for a total of approximately 350 beds.

One of the residential buildings will be constructed between Wilkinson Courtyard and the existing Darden parking garage. The second will be situated on the west side of the Abbott Center. The two buildings will connect to the Darden School’s academic buildings on North Grounds.

Full mobilization of construction, expected in December, will necessitate certain operational and facility adjustments, including parking, access to certain areas, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns, to ensure a safe construction environment. Details will be shared timely to Darden stakeholders including through an internal FAQ site, throughout the project.

Today, Darden’s Full-Time MBA students primarily live in off-Grounds housing across the Charlottesville area. Providing an on-Grounds option directly on Darden’s Goodwin Family Grounds will strengthen student connections to the School and its many activities and amenities, and enrich the student experience. The location also provides walking-distance access to the Tahija Arboretum and LaCross Botanical Gardens, The Forum Hotel, the Rivanna Trail, North Grounds Recreation Center, the School of Law, John Paul Jones Arena, UVA’s Athletics Precinct and more.

The estimated $150 million project is made possible in part by a transformational investment and lead gift from David (MBA ’78) and Kathleen LaCross in 2022, to catalyze the vision for quality residential housing on Grounds.

Earlier this year, the UVA Board of Visitors approved the schematic design. The Darden School will execute on the project with UVA Office of the Architect, the architectural firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Clark Construction, who were each part of the same team that designed and constructed the current Darden Goodwin Family Grounds in 1992.

The project is a significant next step for Darden’s master plan, which aims to enhance the School’s Grounds in Charlottesville and the Washington, D.C. metro area and provide state-of-the-art facilities for Darden faculty and learners. In addition to the new student housing, the Master Plan includes renovations to the Faculty Office Building, Faculty Research Building and the Darden Global Innovation Nexus.

Importantly, the new residential housing and The Forum Hotel, opened on Darden’s Grounds in 2023, ultimately will provide financial contributions that the School can invest in strategic priorities that advance its mission.