WERTLAND SQUARE

This state-of-the-art apartment project was the recipient of the Grand Prize in its category in Builder's Magazine's 2007 Builder's Choice Awards. Located a few hundred yards from the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, Wertland Square transformed an unsightly L-shaped surface parking lot into a new home for 150 students. Utilizing the basic principles of good urban design, Wertland Square has returned trees, shade and pedestrians to the site via a garden promenade that connect two four-level buildings and provides pedestrian access to and from surrounding streets, leading residents to a well-defined central gathering space framed by circular pergolas. Parking is relegated to the rear of the site or provided below grade. The architecture has been described as "innovative," "simple and elegant," and praised as consistent with the architectural legacy of the neighborhood and the University many of its residents are attending.