The UVA Sustainability blog highlights the Contemplative Commons' unique sustainability features: Use of natural materials including Heart Pine floors; water management; and biophillic design, and more. Read the article here.
CSC News
The Cavelier Daily posted an article on the interfaith dinner held in the Contemplative Commons studio 1B. The dinner was a collaboration betwene the Contemplative Sciences Center and the Virginia Interfaith Coalition. It brought together over 100 people of various faiths and backgrounds for a night of food, music and conversation.
Read the Metropolis feature on the Contemplative Commons entitled “This UVA Campus Building Asks Students to Slow Down.” Sam Lubell’s article, in the architectural magazine, explores how the architecture firm Aidlin Darling Design created the Contemplative Commons, as “a cross-disciplinary hub where calm, clarit
The Contemplative Commons received the distinction of Highly Commended by the Civic Trust Awards, which recognizes outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. According to the Civic Trust Awards feature, “The Contemplative Commons at the University of Virginia is a measured and deeply thoughtful intervention that uses architecture and landscape to create space for reflection, wellbeing and shared experience within an active academic setting.”
The Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) at the University of Virginia is seeking motivated and passionate undergraduate and graduate students to join our team for the summer 2026 and / or the 2026-2027 academic year.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to CSC’s mission of advancing student flourishing, interdisciplinary research, and innovative programs that integrate contemplative practices into academic and community life. The student experience is at the core of our work, and your perspectives will directly help shape our programs and effectiveness on Grounds.
Check out the Contemplative Sciences Center's March 2026 newsletter (Opens in new window).
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UVAToday covers the Student Happiness Retreat, a collaboration between UVA’s Department of Student Health and Wellness and the Contemplative Sciences Center, facilitated by Kelly Crace and Katie Smith.
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Join a Spring 2026 meditation program at the Contemplative Commons studying the link between meditation and environment. Must be 18-24 years old and have little to no meditation experience.
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Julianna Mollica, a PhD Graduate Research Assistant with the Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) and doctoral candidate in UVA’s Constructed Environment program, studies how architecture and neuroscience intersect to influence mental health.
The CSC research team seeks adults aged 18-70 to participate in a study exploring contemplative experiences in Virtual Reality (VR), sleep health, and cognitive flexibility.
Architectural Record featured the Contemplative Commons in their health and wellness issue, published in January, 2026.
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Check out the Contemplative Sciences Center's 2025 year-end newsletter.
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“It was wonderful. It was like being in a whole other dimension of peace and serenity and connected to whence we came and maybe to whence we return," Jill Lord, a visitor to NINFEO says.
UVA Today highlighted introduction to Capoeira, held on Nov 11, 2015 at the Contemplative Sciences Center. This event was co-sponsored by the Department of African American and African Studies, Carter G. Woodson Institute, and the Contemplative Sciences Center.
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C-VILLE Weekly recently reviewed Wolfgang Buttress’ immersive art installation NINFEO which resides in the Contemplative Commons—together with its sister exhibition at Les Yeux du Monde gallery in Charlottesville.
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Featured in the October newsletter (archived PDF): "The Active Series: Finding Breath and Movement," by student worker, Malaika Rehman; SENSEmaking Symposium Dazzles; Upcoming Events, and more. Subscribe here.
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"We really wanted to create a building that people could thrive in." These are the words of the Contemplative Commons’ principle architect Kent Chiang in Channel 29’s story on the uniqueness of one of UVA’s newest buildings that provides a peaceful sanctuary for students, faculty, and community members.
Rolling Stone published an article by Contemplative Sciences Center student intern, Jack Korngold who is currently attending high school in New York City.
The Contemplative Science Center's Michael Sheehy discusses ways to guard our attention. “Let’s remember our attention is a precious human resource. If we treat our attention as something we need to guard, to protect, and we direct it toward what we want to pay attention to, that resource is strengthened and becomes more abundant,” Sheehy said.
As UVA's Fall 2025 semester begins, view CSC's events and programming in the August August 2025 newsletter (archived PDF). Subscribe here.
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The Elements of Peace Summer Program offered youth (ages 11-15) an immersion retreat rooted in mindfulness, creative expression, and deep connection with nature. Campers expressed how the retreat gave them a sense of belonging and deepened self-awareness.
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In a partnership between UVA's Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) and CARELab, a conscious AI leadership program, UVA students, interns, and community youth worked together on solutions to local community challenges. CSC facilitated mindfulness integration into the values-centered program.
The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) recognized the University of Virginia's Contemplative Commons with a 2025 Design Excellence Award. SCUP honors achievement in strategic, integrated planning that results in exemplary buildings and grounds, institutional success, and careers that inspire. The Contemplative Sciences Center facility was honored in the category of Excellence in Architecture for a New Building.
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As expected, we are experiencing a high volume of requests for space at the Contemplative Commons. Currently, we are not accepting reservations as our team finalizes guidelines and procedures for processing requests.
The Contemplative Commons was awarded LEED® certification (GOLD-certified level a building has excelled in its sustainable design and operation). LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.