Last Tuesday, the College of William and Mary held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly constructed McLeod Tyler Wellness Center. Students, donors, and members of the Board of Visitors and President of the University all gathered to celebrate the opening of the new building. Named after its donors Bee McLeod and Goody Tyler, the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center serves as a resource for treating medical conditions, and promoting general healthy living. The space encompasses a multitude of uses including health promotion, counseling center, recreational wellness programming, and more. 

Construction for the 28,700 SF building, replaced the existing Student Health Center as well as several additional buildings known as the Lodges. The new facility houses a variety of resources and specialty rooms including a triage and procedure room, injection room, isolation room, exams rooms, soundproof counselling rooms, and additional classrooms. Students are provided a designated space for quiet and reflective activities within the Center for Mindfulness and Authentic Excellence through special meditation alcoves.       

The McLeod Tyler Wellness Center was designed to integrate different dimensions of wellness including emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. South facing views of the building’s surrounding natural landscape provide visitors a peaceful environment to seek stress relief while encouraging sustainable life-habits. The building embodies the key traits of wellness by presenting itself as holistic, positive, and inclusive.   

Henry Adams provided the MEP engineering design harmonious with the building’s atmosphere of healing. Many areas of the wellness center focus on promoting sustainability, therefore it was crucial for Henry Adams to blend cutting-edge technologies into the MEP systems. In order to achieve LEED certification, MEP engineering designs incorporated energy efficient electrical systems, environmentally friendly climate control appliances, and ecologically safe materials.

The mechanical design included HVAC service that maximized the natural ventilation of the building and enhanced the indoor environmental quality. Climate control appliances incorporated into the mechanical design improved energy conservation.

Plumbing fixtures throughout the facility utilize hands-free faucets where applicable and comply with the College of William and Mary campus standards. 

The electrical design promotes light pollution reduction and optimizes energy performance by improving the functionality of the lighting systems. Natural daylight is utilized in 75 percent of the spaces within the wellness center while automatic daylight dimming preset controls are found in most rooms.

Henry Adams’ MEP engineering team made it their goal to provide integrated sustainable design concepts while maintaining the building’s multi-dimensionality. The opening of the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center serves as a step in the right direction towards improving interpersonal well-being and a greater student experience overall.