flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Veterans' mental health needs are central to Seattle VA's design

Healthcare Facilities

Veterans' mental health needs are central to Seattle VA's design

Called the Seattle Veterans Affairs Mental Health and Research Building, the structure is meant to enhance patient care.


By Jonathan Barnes, Contributing Editor | July 2, 2019

All photos: Ben Benschneider

Seattle’s newest Veterans Affairs facility is green, clean, and patient-focused. Which is, of course, the idea behind this Stantec-designed facility.

The new research building for Seattle Veterans Affairs, a $121.6 million structure with 220,000 sf of space, is meant to help with physical and mental needs of some of the 110,000 veterans availing themselves of the one of the VA’s nine area facilities.

 

 

Called the Seattle Veterans Affairs Mental Health and Research Building, the structure is meant to enhance patient care. It provides outpatient mental health care, including dialectical behavior therapy, family and group psychotherapy, medication management, and other services. Dialectical behavioral therapy helps identify and change negative thinking patterns and engenders positive changes in behavior.

Collecting research programs at one location also was the point of the new facility. The move brings together programs in a space designed for each research unit. Members of each unit had input on the design. Now, the fully modern equipment and facilities will enable researchers to expand the limits of medicine in areas such as PTSD, Alzheimer’s Disease, lower limb prosthetic design and engineering, oncology, and suicide prevention.

 

See Also: New Biomedical Research Center Facility at Northwestern University

 

Seattle is the VA’s 5th largest program, and its recent facility construction is a structural affirmation of the VA’s promise “to advance change and positively disrupt the way America delivers healthcare.”

Home to a prosthetic lab that includes motion analysis, custom fabrication and fitting capabilities, the new facility means, practically speaking, that patients can be fitted for and receive their prosthetic at the same site. With an eye for energy efficiency, the building was designed to LEED standards.

 

 

For those aware of it, the environmentally friendly design could have its own calming effect. The building has natural ventilation, passive systems, solar shading, green roofs, rainwater harvesting, access to public and staff outdoor spaces, and also interior gardens.

 

 

Related Stories

Projects | Mar 10, 2022

Optometrist office takes new approach to ‘doc-in-a-box’ design

In recent decades, franchises have taken over the optometry services and optical sales market. This trend has spawned a commodity-type approach to design of office and retail sales space.

Industry Research | Mar 2, 2022

31 percent of telehealth visits result in a physical office visit

With little choice but to adopt virtual care options due to pandemic restrictions and interactions, telehealth adoption soared as patients sought convenience and more efficient care options.

Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022

Design strategies for resilient buildings

LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design. 

Healthcare Facilities | Feb 10, 2022

Respite for the weary healthcare worker

The pandemic has shined a light on the severe occupational stress facing healthcare workers. Creating restorative hospital environments can ease their feelings of anxiety and burnout while improving their ability to care for patients.

Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022

Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings

Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.

Healthcare Facilities | Jan 7, 2022

Supporting hope and healing

Five research-driven design strategies for pediatric behavioral health environments.

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 20, 2021

Stantec will design the new Queensway Health Centre

The project is located in Toronto.

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 16, 2021

Leo A Daly designs mental health clinic for veterans in Tampa

The new facility will consolidate all mental health services the VA offers into one clinic.

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 15, 2021

COVID-19 has altered the speed and design of healthcare projects, perhaps irrevocably

Healthcare clients want their projects up and running quicker, a task made more complicated by the shortage of skilled labor in many markets.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021