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Two centuries after Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda was completed, the University of Virginia has officially broken ground on its Karsh Institute of Democracy, a 21^st-century beacon of democratic ideals.

Designed by Höweler + Yoon Architecture, designer of UVA’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, the 69,300-square-foot building will house the Karsh Institute as well as new facilities for UVA’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. The nonpartisan research and public engagement hub will bring together students, faculty, university staff, and visiting public officials in a space meant for conversation and collaboration.

Exterior view from the northeast. Image by bloomimages, courtesy Höweler + Yoon Architecture

“Our aim is to create a welcoming space to convene people around ideas and discourse and to find common ground in productive ways,” said Eric Höweler, cofounder and partner at Boston-based Höweler + Yoon, in a statement. “The building blends tradition with contemporary sensibilities, championing openness and creating a distinct sense of place for this one-of-a-kind institution.”

With a scheduled completion date of 2026, the building will be situated within UVA’s Emmet-Ivy Corridor. It will be anchored by carved, brick cornerstones that echo the curve of the eastern portion of its glazed facade, creating a series of concavities that embrace the plaza at its front. The porous ground level, what Höweler calls a "house with many doors,” leads toward the building’s centerpiece, a 400-plus-capacity auditorium. The in-the-round gathering space will feature state of the art media equipment and capabilities, as well as two wraparound balconies. The goal is to foster robust discussion—as well as empathy.

Auditorium view. Image by bloomimages, courtesy Höweler + Yoon Architecture

“I wanted the audience to be able to sit behind the speaker and see the world from their point of view, and also allow the audience to participate and not just spectate,” Höweler explained.

Höweler + Yoon and architect of record Hanbury worked with representatives from the office of the Architect for the University, facilities management, the Karsh Institute, and the Batten School to ensure the new building reflected the purpose and values of the institute. 

“The team has designed a building that speaks to democratic ideals in the language of its architecture and will promote healthy debate and discourse far into the future,” says Alice Raucher, UVA’s architect for the university.

Its ideals extend to how the new Karsh Institute will be built. Recently announced as a pilot project for Design for Freedom—an initiative aimed at eliminating forced labor in the materials supply chain—it will be constructed with “the highest standards of ethical building practices.”

“As we grapple with the future of democracy in this historic moment, the Karsh Institute building signals the importance of investing in the long-term work needed to sustain our democratic institutions far into the future,” Höweler said.

That long-term work is at the heart of the Karsh Institute’s mission, which was established in 2021. It will soon have a purpose-built home to match its lofty goals.