The construction of the new building for the School of Data Science began in January 2020 with the collaboration of Hopkins Architects, VMDO, and the University’s Office of the Architect. Led by the Gilbane Building Company, the design aimed to foster collaboration and promote sustainability. Phil Bourne, founding dean of the School of Data Science, described the facility as a recognizable and beautiful home at UVA that embodies the university’s culture of excellence, openness, transparency, interdisciplinarity, and community engagement.
As a LEED Gold-certified building, it features solar panels, vents, and windows in individual offices as well as active and passive shading systems to limit the need for artificial lighting. The building also includes a wellness area, a lactation space, and all non-gendered restrooms. This makes it unique among buildings on Grounds with this feature. A portion of a $120 million gift from Jaffray Woodriff made possible by his private family foundation made construction possible.
Jaffray Woodriff expressed excitement about supporting data science at UVA and how it could play an important role in navigating ethical challenges in AI. As an alumnus who was an early champion of data science at UVA he felt proud to see his school create a home for this field’s study while also emphasizing safe practices in its application
