Glavé & Holmes Architecture is pleased to announce the firm earned two new Interior Design Excellence Awards from the American Society of Interior Designers / International Interior Design Association.

• O’Neil Hall Renovation at the University of Virginia, First Place, Historic Preservation Category
• Christopher Newport Hall at Christopher Newport University, First Place, Educational/Institutional

O’Neil Hall
O’Neil Hall was designed as a continuation of previous neo-classical work, originally envisioned by Fiske Kimball as a campus social/recreation center to be called the “Casino.” The building now serves as executive-level UVA administration offices and support spaces. Portions of the building will serve broader campus meeting need, particularly of student organizations. The general organizing feature, the wide central hall, has been retained and improved to provide collaborative commons space. The 1925 interior was largely intact with serviceable original plaster walls/ceiling, and heartpine floors. The design proposed restoring historic elements while brightening the space into an occupants’ commons. Envisioned as an “interior porch”, new seating zones within the commons serve as waiting areas for visitors. Existing screen doors that open onto the interior core, remnants from the buildings previous program as apartments to facilitate thru-ventilation in a pre-air conditioned world, have been preserved with the modern addition of acrylic panels. Other items were restored and curated as an in-place historical exhibits. The basement is used as a meeting venue for student organizations. Offices express a mix of traditional designs and modern convenience, while the conference rooms are incorporating the University’s latest communication and collaboration technologies.

Christopher Newport Hall

To support the mission of advancing student success, this new building at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, provides a “one-stop shop,” with facilities to support student services and student academic success. The design of the interior spaces embraces the power of design to impact the student experience.  The carefully curated experience is indicative of the level of care and detailed focus that the University provides for students.  The individuality of each department is expressed in the unique selection of furnishings, tied together with a holistic color palette of vibrant colors.  The Student Commons exudes warmth with the use of dynamic red walls and custom casework to house student resource personnel.  Custom carpets throughout the primary public spaces lend consistency and energy to the expansive program, leading visitors through the building. This interior “procession” is designed to visually delight first-time visitors/prospective students and parents, while serving as an introduction to Christopher Newport University. Building visitors enter either from the grand stair or at the south building entrance, proceed up the ceremonial open stair to the second level lobby, where they begin their University experience. At the reception area, one’s eye is directed up through a series of three circular floor openings to the sunlit centerpiece domed roof.