Region Ten’s Peterson Health Center: A Single Vision for a Better Community

Sometimes, it’s better just to start over from scratch.

When Region Ten, a mental health services provider throughout Central Virginia, hired Martin Horn to update the Peterson Health Center, we knew that it would be more than a simple renovation. Originally built as a data processing center and then converted into a bank before being bought by Region Ten, the building was outdated, overdesigned, and Region Ten was spending tons of money on service technicians for ancient equipment. Updating the site’s efficiency meant gutting all of those disparate elements and rebuilding all three floors under a single vision.

Working with architect Bob Pineo of Design Develop, LLC, Martin Horn renewed the 30,000 square-foot Peterson Health Center both inside and out. From the parking lot to the windows to the walls, carpet, and even ceiling tiles, almost nothing was left untouched. One significant change was cutting out a 400 square-foot piece of precast concrete by the central entrance and making it an open atrium to invite newcomers and improve the building’s overall flow. An even more significant improvement was installing a variable refrigerant flow A/C system that would recycle hot and cold air by redistributing it throughout the building where needed rather than dumping it outside. The temperature can even be adjusted remotely via laptop. Don’t you just love living in the future sometimes?

The $2.7 million renovation is expected to provide significant savings for the Peterson Health Center in overall energy efficiency.