Proud to announce Thomas Hall at the University of Richmond a prestigious project by nbj Architecture was nominated for the Top Sustainable Commercial Project at the 2019 Annual Building Sustainability Awards held at Richmond. Our contenders were Steven Holl’s – Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU and 319 E Plume Street the office of VIA Design Architects. Unfortunately we lost to the 110 year old 319 E plume street.

The renovation to Thomas Hall from traditional dormitories with gang bathrooms into modern apartment style spaces began in 2014; 100 years after the construction of the historic University of Richmond building. The archaic structure and low floor to floor heights provided a stimulating design challenge for the team. Unique floor plate on each required creative planning to line up bathrooms and maximize interior space for the residents. Ultimately, team was able to raise ceiling heights through the facility, and exceed it’s goal of providing 84 beds within the hall with an final bed count of 86. Student lounges were provided on nearly every level, and new elevators and entrance ramps  greatly increase accessibility both too and within the hall.  The building has achieved LEED Gold.