Project Description
Albemarle County Offices at McIntire Road
Charlottesville, Virginia
The planning effort focused on transforming a traditional, lawn based, government campus into a dynamic civic landscape that weaves together local history, civic memorials, new circulation strategies, compelling open spaces, and renewed natural systems and ecologies.
A series of immersive pedestrian spaces along the street creates a cohesive framework that unifies the linear conditions and invites neighborhood and visitor engagement. Orchard, field, pasture, and fencerow patterns give expression to the county’s beloved agriculture history, while extensive woodlands, groves, and meadows reference the areas rich natural resources that support local biodiversity.
Sustainability and hydrology focused learning opportunities are created by day lighting downspouts and drain pipes and directing stormwater into an overlapping series of green infrastructure improvements. Landscape maintenance will transition from traditional mowing, fertilizing, and spraying to a natural soil building strategy that creates a more resilient landscape requiring no chemical inputs and irrigation water.
The site transformation has the added benefits of supporting the City’s downtown area as well as serving as an anchor and gateway for Schenk’s Branch Greenway.