Lakeland Mental Health Center
Fergus Falls, MN
Lakeland Mental Health Center (LMHC) moved to their new Fergus Falls facility in February 2010. LMHC provides outpatient and community based behavioral healthcare services to clients and organizations in west central Minnesota. The Fergus Falls office provides regional services and central administration for LMHC. The new headquarters for Lakeland Mental Health Center sits on a beautiful, sloping, wooded site. LMHC understood the value of the natural setting to create a setting to provide an amenity to its clients and staff alike. Clinicians providing outpatient services on site have offices on the building perimeter, providing views and a serene setting for clients. Clinicians who provide services off site are in situated in an open office environment with an expansive curtainwall exposure overlooking the woods and wetland. Interior spaces have access to daylight through borrow lights and skylights. Programmatic and efficiency priorities of the project include a warm, inviting client experience, providing space needs with efficiency and flexibility, daylighting to a variety of spaces, security, energy efficiency and sustainable design. Particular attention was paid to the materials, systems and technology of the building envelope for Lakeland Mental Health Center. Geothermal heating and cooling was incorporated and the building envelope was studied regarding insulation and infiltration measures. The Owner has occupied the building for over 12 months, and the annual energy cost is tracking at less than ninety cents ($0.90) per square foot. In addition to project costs coming in well below projected budget, the project has achieved LEED Silver Certification as well as the ND AIA Award of Merit.
