Mark Ridley-Thomas

A former hospital building is repurposed for community mental health treatment

The newly renamed Mark Ridley-Thomas Behavioral Health Center (formerly named Martin Luther King, Jr Behavioral Health Center) project is an adaptive repurposing of the former MLK hospital building. The 5-story, 505,000 SF building was demolished to the structural members and floors, then rebuilt with new MEPT services and distribution systems with supply service points of connection in the existing campus central utility plant. The renovations provide mental health services, including urgent care, outpatient, psychiatric health, substance abuse, and rehabilitation. The design-build team is led by HOK and Bernards in partnership with Los Angeles County Public Works.

P2S provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, low voltage, and lighting design services for the adaptive re-use of the 500,000 square foot facility with all new central utility plant systems integrated into the building. The utility systems included a new highly efficient water-cooled chilled water plant, heating and domestic hot water condensing boilers, fan array air handling systems, emergency generator system, fiber and copper utility services and all the utility distribution through the facility. P2S also provided support for construction and LEED Gold application for the project. This $223 million, design-build project was substantially completed in October 2021.