The Experiential Design Index

Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center — Monticello

The David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, a 42,000 sq ft gateway complex at Monticello in Charlottesville, VA, opened in 2008; designed by Ayers Saint Gross (architecture, interiors, and signage/ wayfinding) with landscape architecture by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects.

VenueMonticello
Project typeNew Building
StatusCompleted
Year completed2008

Credits

FirmRoleNote
Ayers Saint Gross Architecture
Ayers Saint Gross Environmental Graphics & Wayfinding Full signage and wayfinding system for the visitor center and campus (also documented by Ayers Saint Gross as a separate scope-of-work listing, 'Visitor Center and Smith Education Center Signage and Wayfinding')
michael-vergason-landscape-architects Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture and siting

Description

Five pavilions organized around a courtyard house ticketing, an orientation theater, an exhibition gallery, the Griffin Discovery Room (a hands-on family gallery), classrooms, a cafe, and retail. LEED Gold certified, with a geothermal heating/cooling system and stormwater green infrastructure.

Sources