The Valley Health Center Tully has been planned to provide easy circulation, wayfinding, and access from parking and public transportation to best serve a diverse clientele. The building has been designed to present a strong symbolic face toward the heavily traveled main road while opening itself to guests from a south-facing “courtyard” protected from the road by the building itself.

The courtyard building fa¸ades have been made accessible to visitors by the use of a glass curtainwall that unites the interior reception, waiting, and circulation areas with the exterior landscaped area. This concept also allows natural light into these areas and assists visitors in orienting themselves from outside the building. The courtyard also provides a safe, comfortable waiting area for families near the main entries. The courtyard and indoor/outdoor space connection is a concept familiar to the Asian and Hispanic communities who make up the largest segments of the Health Center’s population.


To add human scale and make the facility more inviting, the crisp, modern glass wall is contrasted with trellises and awnings to provide filtered light, and with “soft” materials such as colorful stucco, wood, and fabric. Bright, warm colors were used in an effort to make the environment more fun for the many children visitors. This is reinforced by the installation in the entry of festive ceramic tiles made by children from the adjoining elementary school and by displays of photographs and children’s art at locations throughout the facility.

Project category: New construction (completed March 2005)

Chief administrator: Robin Roche, Director, ACHS, (408) 885-5700

Firm: Hawley Peterson & Snyder Architects, (650) 968-2944

Design team: Alan Turner, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Curtis Snyder, AIA, Design Principal; Charles Wagner, AIA, Project Architect; Gary Crosman, AIA, Senior Designer; Dina Cheyette, Interior Designer

Photography: ©2005 David Wakely

Total building area (sq. ft.): 53,500

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $252

Total construction cost (excluding land): $13,500,000