Riverside Medical Plaza

A declining strip mall gets a new look as it’s repurposed into a healthcare plaza to serve a client base outside of Charlottesville. 

The former Riverside Center on Route 29 North, once a typical suburban shopping center, has been repurposed into a modern Medical Plaza by local developer Norm Brinkman, with BRW Architects leading the redesign of Building 1 and the exterior of Building 2.

The first phase of Building 1’s transformation includes new exterior siding, full-length sunshades, and a prominent entrance canopy that redefines the building’s presence. The result is a contemporary, cost-effective design that reflects the high standards of the medical offices now occupying the space, elevating the look of a typical strip mall into a sleek, functional complex.

A future phase of the project, in partnership with Waterstreet Studio, will convert part of the expansive parking lot into a healing garden with outdoor terraces, providing a serene space for patients, staff, and families. This sustainable landscape design introduces native grasses and trees to screen the building’s blank west façade and remove an underused asphalt drive-around, creating a naturalistic buffer between the road and the development. The garden will not only enhance the patient experience but also improve the environment along Route 29, offering a park-like alternative to the existing asphalt-heavy landscape. 

Location

Charlottesville, VA

Status

Building 1 completed 2016
Building 2 completed 2018

Project #

17043 and others

Developer

N.T. Brinkman & Co.

Architect

brwarchitects, p.c.
Building I: David Timmerman, AIA
Building II: Karim Habbab, with Supervising Principal Kurt Keesecker, AIA

Virginia Hamrick Photography