After a rainy winter in 2009, and after waiting for the site to dry, construction finally got underway on the Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility (UCRHF) in Cookeville, Tenn. Owned by the State of Tennessee, the new construction of this 50,000-square-foot facility building was essential for compensating for the recent and expected growth of the regional health department. When construction finally came to an end in 2010 and the doors were opened, this headquarters for public health services would act as the command post for any public health emergencies that would arise in the region while housing supervisory and support staff for all of the surrounding counties’ public health facilities.
Because of the critical services to be housed within its walls, it was essential for the project team to deliver a facility that established a healthy, productive, functional, low-maintenance and environmentally responsive workplace for the staff.