The Cavalier daily :: Thursday, February 1, 1973 :: University of Virginia Library

For all intents and
purposes, the University's plans
for the development of
residential colleges on the
Birdwood have been
intely. A $20,000
concept plan study by Sasaki,
Daon, DeMay Associates was
received by the Board of
Visitors in December, but they
have yet to take any action.
And it seems unlikely that the
Board, when and if it does act,
will do anything more than
merely accept the entire plan,
then set it aside until
development funds are
appropriated.

"I don't think anything like
an official shelving by the
Board of Visitors will or needs
to take place," says Board
Secretary Raymond C. Bice.

"The state legislature simply
has not appropriated the
needed funds," explains Mr.
Bice. "I guess that alone
effectively shelves the plan, at
least for the foreseeable future.
Anyway, it is generally
difficult to get anything like
this in less than six years after
the plan is finished."

Birdwood is a 550-acre tract
of land located south of Route
250 and about ¼ mile west of
the Route 29 Bypass
According to the University's
master plan Birdwood is to be
developed into five
undergraduate residential
colleges capable of housing
3000 students.

The objective of the
residential college concept is to
develop a closely integrated
living and learning environment
in which the distinction
between dormitories and
classrooms will be minimized.
This concept is also designed to
encourage personal contact
with resident faculty members
outside the traditional
classroom.

When the Birdwood plan
was originated in 1968,
University planners were
designing for an estimated
enrollment of 18,000 students
by 1980. However, the 1972
enrollment projections by the
Future of the University
Committee have changed this
estimate. The Committee
found that the student
population would be only
16,000 by 1980 rather than the
earlier projection of 18,000.

Thus, the lack of state funds
is not the only reason for the
failure of Birdwood's
development. University
Planner Werner K. Sensbach
added, "Our new enrollment
projections simply don't justify
the construction of the
planned residential colleges at
this time."

"This, of course, doesn't
mean that nothing will ever be
done with Birdwood," said
Information Director William
H. Fishback. "There's just
nothing we can do with
Birdwood for the time being."

Mr. Sensbach indicated,
though, that when the money
is available and the space is
needed, the plan will at least be
available for any development
to begin.

The Birdwood tract is
composed mostly of rolling
open farmland peppered with
groves of trees. A network of
ponds and small streams lace
its valleys.

The Sasak, Dawson, DeMay
plan intends to preserve the
natural beauty of the site. In
their plan, these ponds and
drainage systems will be
protected. Also, the steep
slopes and wooded areas in the
southwestern sector of the site
will be kept as permanent open
space. The existing farm
environment, in short, will be
incorporated in the new
development to the maximum
extent possible.

If accepted, the design will
offer an informal arrangement
of buildings which reflect the
rolling terrain, and all building
complexes will be organized to
fit the contours of major land
forms.

Parking areas, too, will be
terraced into the hillsides

Although the plan calls for a
central plaza as the focal point
for the six colleges, it also
emphasizes the importance of
maintaining each college's
individual sense of identity.

Three plans were originally
discussed. The "separate
clusters" idea was based on
three groups of two colleges
each. In this scheme, each
group of colleges was separated
by large open spaces. and no
central shared facility area
existed for the six colleges.
Thus, it was hoped that a
strong degree of identity might
develop for each cluster.

The second plan, the
"linked clusters" idea,

contained two groups of three
colleges each, with shared
academic and dining facilities.
A central library and student
activities complex linked the
two clusters. The identities of
individual college clusters,
however, would be limited in
this scheme.

The third idea was based on
a clustering of all six colleges
along an "activity spine" which
contained all the academic,
dining library and student
activity facilities in a linear
arrangement.

A fourth concept which was
developed subsequent to these
three ideas incorporates the
prime aspects of each of these.
Groups of three colleges utilize
common shared facilities with
each cluster overlooking one of
the existing ponds.

This plan was ultimately
accepted by the University's
Master Plan Committee.