Poplar Forest
A 3,608 SF visitor center for Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest estate in Lynchburg, VA, organized around a central octagonal reception hall informed by classical architectural precedent.
Graduate Studio 5 · M.Arch, University of Colorado Denver · 3,608 SF · Lynchburg, VA
The design takes its cues from the classical language of the historic main house while remaining deliberately subordinate to it. Sited along the estate’s primary axis, the building reads as a formal but restrained civic structure — an Ionic-columned portico framing the entrance, with flanking porches and symmetrical massing that defer to Poplar Forest itself.
The first floor centers on an octagonal reception hall connecting the public program; the second floor contains offices arranged around a central light well. Daylight enters the hall through a skylight and frosted glass floor, creating a luminous interior that contrasts with the measured exterior. Proportional analysis informed the placement and sizing of every major element, from column spacing to window positions. Produced in AutoCAD, Revit, Twinmotion, and Photoshop.