Bob Neal
Leadership
Charlottesville, VA
Kimpton The Forum Hotel is adjacent to the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. The five-story hotel, designed by Cooper Carry, offers 198 rooms and 11,500 square feet of meeting and classroom space.
The Forum was envisioned as the natural evolution and expansion of Darden and its previous Darden Inn. The design is influenced by Jeffersonian architecture, incorporating the classical orders, details, columns, window proportions and materials that typify the style of the Darden School of Business and other UVA campus buildings. Situated on the Grounds of the Darden School of Business and anchored by a magnificent five-acre arboretum and botanical gardens, the hotel is home to thematic gardens, a pond, a restored stream and walking trails that connect Darden to the UVA School of Law, Rivanna Trail, and the greater University campus and Charlottesville area.
The design team envisioned the Inn at Darden as a composition of well-proportioned buildings that created formality, scale and details that promote social interaction and place making that supports the mission and goals of the Darden Business School and elevated the human experience at the North Grounds.
This project, which was Kimpton's first university campus hotel, has been awarded LEED BD+C Silver. It opened in the Spring of 2023.
project scope
196,000 SF / 198 Keys
design services
Studios
CLient
University of Virginia, Darden School Foundation
Awards