Congratulations to the entire design and construction team on the recent 2019 James M. Scott Exceptional Design Honor Award for the George Mason University Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall. This award, given by Fairfax County, is in recognition of superior sustainable design and green building practices and the positive contribution of the project to the Mason community.
The 160,000 GSF building completes Perkins Eastman’s North Sector Plan of the campus. It provides a learning atmosphere for Mason’s nearly one thousand nursing students with a Patient Simulation Laboratory, as well as new classrooms, a Nutrition Kitchen, clinical practice spaces and top-flight labs for health services research. The sustainable, five-story facility brings together the many aspects of the College of Health and Human Services under one roof and adds to Mason’s commitment to becoming a preeminent research university.
christopher consultants is proud to have provided surveying and civil engineering services on this project. Stormwater management (SWM) was a big component of the environmental design of the site. christopher performed a drainage study and provided schematic designs for the proposed extended detention pond, which included tie-ins to existing storm sewer and coordinating SWM design around existing storm sewer conditions. The SWM was coordinated with the adjacent off-campus construction to meet quantity and quality requirements. A bioretention facility is a featured element of the outdoor space, blended into a small amphitheater-like setting.
The phasing and timing of the project was critical since it involved the relocation and reconstruction of Patriot Circle, George Mason Boulevard and Occoquan River Lane and associated utilities. We provided the signage and striping plan for revised road alignments, including signage and striping for the new bike lanes. To supply more staff and administration parking, the project required a parking lot redesign of an existing lot in front of another building. Additionally, our engineers designed clinic parking adjacent to Peterson Hall and ensured there was ADA access at multiple points of the building.
Fairfax County bestowed the Honor Award upon Peterson Hall because the “strong indoor/outdoor connection provides for intentional social connections, knitting site and pedestrian access to the campus. This environmentally responsible building incorporates green building practices well, accomplishing the University’s mission to promote sustainability and healthy living.”
The James M. Scott Exceptional Design Awards were established in 1984 to recognize achievement in the total design of a building and its site. The awards aim to raise awareness of outstanding planning and design projects among design professionals and the general public.
