JEFFERSON RIDGE

The Albemarle County, Virginia site of Jefferson Ridge presented quite a challenge - it had been graded by a previous owner for a project that was never built. Since regrading the site would have been prohibitively expensive and hard on the surrounding land, the owner asked Mitchell/Matthews Architects to design Jefferson Ridge Apartments on the existing land configuration. The challenge was transformed into an opportunity, and the unusual grades were used to create a uniquely village-like arrangement of residences, with every apartment enjoying a ground-level entrance, and an ideally located swimming/fitness/recreational facility. Exercise rooms with barrel-vaulted ceilings and generous windows overlook a lovely pool surrounded by pergolas. Generous terraces and balconies take advantage of views of the distant Blue Ridge Mountains.