` University of Virginia Newcomb Hall Southeast Terrace | WDP & Associates

University of Virginia Newcomb Hall Southeast Terrace

Newcomb Hall is a heavily trafficked Student Activities Center at the core of campus life at the University of Virginia.  Since its original construction in the 1950s, the building has been expanded upon and renovated multiple times and currently contains a movie theater, several dining facilities, a grand ballroom, and the student newspaper.  Newcomb Hall and the Southeast Terrace specifically serve as the main handicap-accessible route through campus.  The Southeast Terrace is situated over the Cavalier Room, which is a below grade student lounge constructed in the 1980s.  The terrace originally featured sheet applied waterproofing with a large planted area which spilled out onto the adjacent plaza and occupied roughly 50% of the terrace.  The planted space was flanked with narrow sidewalks allowing limited access, creating pedestrian flow issues.  The other portions of the terrace featured unstable exposed aggregate concrete pedestal pavers.

Water infiltration into the occupied spaces below the terrace required the replacement of the failed waterproofing system while changes to University programing created the need for a large open outdoor gathering space.  WDP was retained to work directly with the office of the Architect of the University in order to develop a new layout of the space which now features both sandset brick and Ipe/Brazilian hardwood pavers with two smaller planters on either side of the wide monumental stair cases which now opens the terrace up to the adjacent plaza.  WDP was contracted to develop full construction documents for the removal and replacement of the existing waterproofing and finishes.

Our services included several working sessions with the University to provide the exact architectural  finish, full structural analysis of the existing structure, structural design of both the new planters and handrails, and  the development of all Architectural details required for proper execution  of the new waterproofing and paving systems.  The new waterproofing system is primarily fully reinforced hot applied rubberized asphalt with cold fluid waterproofing within the new planters.  Our services also included full Construction Administration for the project.