McIntire School of Commerce

The expansion to the McIntire School of Commerce at The University of Virginia creates a prominent campus gateway along Jefferson Park Avenue and pedestrianizes circulation into the historic Grounds. The nearly 100,000-square-foot project provides a state-of-the-art home for the McIntire School’s innovation and data science programs, including active-learning classrooms, innovation and data labs, and collaboration spaces. A new atrium and outdoor courtyard facilitate bringing the school together for large events.

The new Shumway Hall is an addition to Cobb Hall, a 1917 classical brick building that previously held UVA’s Chemistry Department and was later part of the Medical School. The expansion utilizes the 35-foot-plus grade change to bring prominence to the addition while visually separating it from Cobb Hall. The adjacent Ruppel Drive has been transformed from a heavily trafficked access road into an accessible pedestrian walkway lined with terraces and gardens by connecting service areas between the buildings underground—the pathway links Cobb and Shumway Halls with the existing Rouss & Robertson Halls to the west, creating a new precinct for the McIntire School of Commerce.

UVA’s McIntire School expansion is a case study in bridging academic vision, evolving pedagogy, and historic preservation. In consultation with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the historically significant front portion of Cobb Hall was rehabilitated, while inside, the building was made ADA compliant, and large classrooms which had been subdivided over time into small workspace were recaptured. A skylight on the top floor which had been covered has been reinterpreted as a laylight and now crowns the double-height Solarium.

New state-of-the-art learning spaces within Shumway Hall support the McIntire School’s innovation and data sciences programs and foster student interaction, including a two-story atrium; the Student Success Center, which centralizes student services; a café; commons overlooking Jefferson Park Avenue; gallery spaces; data and innovation labs; and a flat-floor Grand Classroom with flexible seating and a partition that allows the room to be divided into separate classrooms, as well as a 200-seat event space.

McIntire reimagined its facilities over the course of a decade to support the future of business education with technology-rich environments responsive to AI and digital transformation. The opening of the new facility marks a transformative moment and enables the school to expand enrollment while preserving its close-knit, collaborative culture. The project is targeting LEED Silver certification.