Designed by Maryland-based architects Ayers Saint Gross, the 42,000 square feet center on the Monticello grounds is the first visitor center at a World Heritage site in the US, and one of only five visitor centers in the country to earn LEED Gold certification.
Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center comprises five pavilions set in a ‘pinwheel’ around a central courtyard. The three-level complex follows the contour of its hillside setting and blends into the wooded landscape.
The center’s sustainable elements include a geothermal heating and cooling system; two green roofs; extensive use of locally sourced and sustainably produced building materials; energy efficient elements such as double-glazed windows and louvered blinds; advanced storm water removal; water and energy conservation measures; enhanced wastewater treatment; and recycling protocols.
Monticello was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the US Declaration of Independence, third President of the US, and founder of the University of Virginia. The house, which Jefferson himself designed, was based on the neoclassical principles described in the books of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.
Leslie Greene Bowman, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation says, “In developing this modern facility we were inspired by Jefferson’s inventive mind. Visitors are surrounded by examples of Jefferson’s conservation ethic throughout Monticello, the remarkable house he designed, and we wanted to build on that.” The construction manager was Barton Malow Company, a construction management and general contracting firm headquartered in Michigan.
