Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall

The Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall at George Mason University is a five-story, 165,000-square-foot academic and clinical training facility designed to unify all six departments within the College of Health and Human Services. As the second-largest building across Mason’s campuses, the hall consolidates programs in Social Work, Nutrition and Food Studies, Nursing, Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, and Rehabilitation Sciences into a single interdisciplinary hub. The building features classrooms, performance and learning labs, medical simulation spaces, a demonstration kitchen, clinical practice areas, an amphitheater, and a dedicated Community Health Institute.

A Comprehensive Home for Interdisciplinary Health Education

Five signature learning and research spaces distinguish the facility and reinforce Mason’s leadership in health sciences education:

• Community Health Institute

• Functional Performance Lab

• Health Informatics Learning Lab

• Nutrition Kitchen Lab

• Patient Simulation Lab

These environments support hands-on instruction, scenario-based learning, performance assessment, and community outreach, providing a flagship setting for education, research, and public engagement.

High-Performance MEP Systems Supporting Specialized Learning Environments

In partnership with Perkins Eastman, Mueller Associates designed advanced mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering systems to support the diverse academic, clinical, and laboratory functions housed throughout the building. Wet lab plumbing and ventilation systems enable hands-on scientific research, with natural gas, compressed air, vacuum systems, and reverse-osmosis water delivered directly to bench tops via overhead distribution.

The building’s direct digital control (DDC) system integrates with the university’s campus-wide controls and incorporates multiple strategies to optimize energy performance, including adjustable pressure and temperature resets and demand-controlled ventilation with CO₂ sensors. Energy recovery equipment—enthalpy wheels for general systems and heat pipes for laboratory units—provides additional efficiency by pretreating outside air. Together, these systems deliver reliable performance, sustainability, and flexibility to support Mason’s expanding health sciences programs.

Read more about Mueller’s work on Peterson Hall here.