A survey of 1,313 Americans ages 18 or older, which KFF Tracking conducted last July, found that more than half of those polled, 53%, reported their mental health had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the virus started spreading, an estimated 26% of Americans suffered from diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders.
The demand for healthcare facilities that offer mental and behavioral health services is increasing, and presents new design and construction opportunities to AEC firms.
About a year ago, on March 10, 2020, Nationwide Children’s Hospital debuted its nine-story $159 million Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. The pavilion, designed by NBBJ and built by Turner Construction, opened as the largest pediatric facility for this specialty in the country. It has 48 inpatient beds, a psychiatric crisis department, 10 rooms for observation stays up to 24 hours, a 12-bed stabilization unit for stays up to 72 hours, and a range of outpatient treatment.
The proposed programming for the Ohana Center for Health is devised to offer a healing environment.
NBBJ also designed the 55,600-sf Ohana Center for Health in Monterey, Calif., which recently broke ground and is scheduled to open in early 2023. The project’s construction and programming are being funded by a $105.8 million donation to the Montage Health Foundation from Roberta Bialek Elliott, the sister of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Ms. Elliott lives in Monterey and previously served on Montage Health’s Board of Trustees, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The Building Team on the Ohana Center for Health includes South Bay Construction (GC), Integral Group (MEP), Fast + Epp (SE), Whitson Engineers (CE), and BFS Landscape Architects (landscape).
BRINGING A HUMAN TOUCH TO HEALTHCARE
Jonathan Ward, FAIA, Design Partner in NBBJ’s Los Angeles office, tells BD+C that his firm’s longstanding commitment to humanizing healthcare makes it a good fit for this trend for behavioral and mental health facilities. “Before the pandemic, most of these places weren’t very nice. Now, society is destigmatizing mental health, and here is an opportunity for people to get treatment in better settings.”
“Ohana” means “family” in Hawaiian, and this venture will include everything from an actual “Ohana House” (a kind of apartment) to early intervention, comprehensive support for young people and their families, and partnerships with an extensive collection of existing community organizations.
“We envision a warm, welcoming center on Montage Health property at Ryan Ranch,” said Dr. Steven Packer, President and CEO of Montage Health. “But we see much more than bricks and mortar—a groundbreaking hub for comprehensive, innovative solutions, with concentric circles of care emanating throughout our community.”
According to Montage Health, there is a critical shortage of psychiatrists at a time when as many as one in five children ages 9 to 17 in the U.S. may have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.
CLT USED EXTENSIVELY
The residential hub (above) and outpatient lobby (below) accentuate how cross-laminated timber is being used throughout the facility.
NBBJ’s design for Ohana Center for Health brings together the latest in neuroscience research—Ward says his firm consulted with the brain scientist and author Dr. John Medina—to provide a healing environment for children and teenagers, as well as for caregivers who, in this field, have an annual turnover rate that exceeds 40%.
The design immerses the Center in what Ward calls “an intentional connection to nature,” by creating a series of large outdoor cloisters, patios, and terraced spaces. Flowing water wends through the site. Prospect and refuge spaces offer privacy and natural views. Gardens with immune-boosting plants such as lavender and rosemary offer therapy and music to patients and visitors.
The Center is designed to encourage movement, which boosts the executive function of the brain in ways said to reduce mental illness. The Center will include a gym, outdoor nature trails and other forms of outside activities.
Another humanizing aspect of the design, says Ward, is its use of cross-laminated timber (CLT). This is one of the largest healthcare projects in the country to use CLT, whose modular components can be assembled offsite. The use of this composite material helps lower the facility’s carbon footprint, and will reduce materials waste during construction.
Related Stories
| May 5, 2011
Hospitals launch quiet campaigns to drown out noise of modern medicine
Worldwide, sound levels inside hospitals average 72 decibels during the day and 60 decibels at night, which far exceeds the standard of 40 decibels or less, set by the World Health Organization. The culprit: modern medicine. In response, hospitals throughout Illinois and the U.S. are launching "quiet campaigns" that include eliminating intercom paging, replacing metal trash cans, installing sound-absorbing flooring and paneling, and dimming lights at night to remind staff to keep their voices down.
| Apr 14, 2011
USGBC debuts LEED for Healthcare
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduces its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.
| Apr 13, 2011
Virginia hospital’s prescription for green construction: LEED Gold
Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va., is the commonwealth’s first inpatient healthcare facility to earn LEED Gold. The 630,000-sf facility was designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with commissioning consultant SSRCx, both of Nashville.
| Apr 12, 2011
Mental hospital in Boston redeveloped as healthcare complex
An abandoned state mental health facility in Boston’s prestigious Longwood Medical Area is being transformed into the Mass Mental Health Center, a four-building mixed-use complex that includes a mental health day hospital, a clinical and office building, a medical research facility for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a residential facility.
| Mar 17, 2011
Perkins Eastman launches The Green House prototype design package
Design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to join The Green House project and NCB Capital Impact in announcing the launch of The Green House Prototype Design Package. The Prototype will help providers develop small home senior living communities with greater efficiency and cost savings—all to the standards of care developed by The Green House project.
| Mar 14, 2011
Renowned sustainable architect Charles D. Knight to lead Cannon Design’s Phoenix office
Cannon Design is pleased to announce that Charles D. Knight, AIA, CID, LEED AP, has joined the firm as principal. Knight will serve as the leader of the Phoenix office with a focus on advancing the firm’s healthcare practice. Knight brings over 25 years of experience and is an internationally recognized architect who has won numerous awards for his unique contributions to the sustainable and humanistic design of healthcare facilities.
| Mar 11, 2011
Renovation energizes retirement community in Massachusetts
The 12-year-old Edgewood Retirement Community in Andover, Mass., underwent a major 40,000-sf expansion and renovation that added 60 patient care beds in the long-term care unit, a new 17,000-sf, 40-bed cognitive impairment unit, and an 80-seat informal dining bistro.
| Mar 11, 2011
Research facility added to Texas Medical Center
Situated on the Texas Medical Center’s North Campus in Houston, the new Methodist Hospital Research Institute is a 12-story, 440,000-sf facility dedicated to translational research. Designed by New York City-based Kohn Pedersen Fox, with healthcare, science, and technology firm WHR Architects, Houston, the building has open, flexible labs, offices, and amenities for use by 90 principal investigators and 800 post-doc trainees and staff.