Home AEC University of Washington to Develop 184,000 SQFT Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

University of Washington to Develop 184,000 SQFT Behavioral Health Teaching Facility

The University of Washington has established a bold vision for a new Behavioral Health Teaching Facility that will become the foundation for positive transformation of the entire Behavioral Health system in the state of Washington. Located adjacent to an existing acute care hospital on the UW Medical Center Northwest Campus, the new six-story, 184,000-square-foot building will be a fully integrated welcoming and healing environment for individuals struggling with both physical and behavioral health conditions. The facility will support a full continuum of clinical services ranging from effective medication management and psychotherapies to state-of-the-art neuromodulation treatments, as well as medical and surgical care for individuals with behavioral health disorders.

The progressive design-build team of SRG Partnership, Clark | Abbott Joint Venture and the University of Washington are working together to deliver an efficient, safe, and quality setting that promotes wellbeing, healing, and learning around a new patient-centered model. In this state-of-the-art Integrated Care program, medical, mental health, and social service professionals will collaborate closely to provide a holistic approach to patient care that reinforces the connection between mind and body. 

The siting integrates the new building into campus by providing active ground level public amenities including indoor and outdoor dining, conference rooms, and state-of the art neuromodulation services. These open and inviting public spaces will be used to promote mental health awareness across the campus, community, and state. Levels two and three will have 50 medical / surgical beds and separate service and public skybridges at level two that connect to the existing Emergency Department to leverage and expand the campus’s operational capabilities.

The top three levels feature flexible behavioral health inpatient units. Standardized configurations respond to a variety of needs ranging from highly structured programs to programs that promote independence and community integration. Open-concept social and dining spaces will create a residential atmosphere fostering serenity and comfort. Smaller, semiprivate adjacent spaces will provide opportunities for patient choice and areas of respite and quiet. The new building will also feature dedicated on-unit outdoor patient landscaped terraces to emphasize connections to fresh air and nature as well as a larger shared outdoor therapy/recreation space to support physical activity and exercise. 

Recognizing that the new building is an expansion of the existing hospital, attention to scale, articulation, openness, and warmth will reinforce the vision for a new standard of behavioral health care. The design will maximize access to daylight and views while assuring patient privacy, dignity, and safety. A minimal neutral palette will be used with wood tones and accents throughout to create a serene and comforting environment and a sense of place that eases stress and is inviting to patients, family and visitors. 

Establishing a new benchmark for behavioral health, this innovative facility has a commitment to healing, training and education, and integration into the community as a resource for mental health advocacy. Slated for completion at the end of 2023, the building will be a home for an interdisciplinary training and workforce development program focused on preparing and supporting the next generation of health care providers for Washington State. 

SRG Design Team
Carl Hampson, Design Principal
Laurie Canup, Managing Principal
Pierce McVey, Project Director
Aimee Duquette, Senior Project Manager
Lori Epler Hout, Senior Medical Planner
Jessica Paley, Technical Design Manager
Phil Lopez, Sr. Project Designer
Jon Mehlschau – Healthcare Project Architect
Anais Adamska – Project Architect
Michael Talbot – Interior Design Lead
Kristopher Chan – Architect
Michael Canales – Architect
Stephanie Tauber – Architect
Steve Seely – Architect 
Eric Wilcox – Sr. Project Architect
Jim Wilson – Specifications Writer
Rich Rapp – Specifications Writer
Jessica Mistretta – Healthcare Interior Designer
Samantha Kelsey – Interior Designer
Kirill Ryadchenko – BIM Manager
Craig Tompkins – Medical Planner Resource
Marianeth Berecil – Designer
Zachary Melnik – Designer
Rachel Lozeau – Designer
Cary Chu – Designer

Project Team
Architecture and Interior Design: SRG Partnership
General Contractor: Clark | Abbott Joint Venture
Mechanical Contractor: McKinstry
Electrical Contractor: Veca Electric & Technologies LLC
Civil Engineer: KPFF in collaboration with CM Design Group
Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti in collaboration with Lund Opsahl
Mechanical Engineer: Mazzetti in collaboration with Modern Mechanical, Bogard Engineers, and The Greenbusch Group
Electrical Engineer: PAE Engineers
Lighting Design: HLB Lighting Design Inc.
Landscape: OJB Landscape Architecture in collaboration with Osborn Consulting
Signage/Wayfinding: Mayer/Reed
Food Service: Ricca Design Studios
Accessibility: Studio Pacifica
Acoustical Engineer: The Greenbusch Group
Code: Code Unlimited
Vertical Transportation: Lerch Bates
Logistical Consulting: Lerch Bates Logistics
Specifications: Applied Building Information 
Building Envelope Consultant: 4EA Building Science (formerly JRS Engineering)
Steel: Schuff Steel 
Horizontal Enclosure: Queen City Sheet Metal & Roofing
Framing, GWB and Ceiling Systems, Vertical Enclosure: Performance Contracting Inc
Security Consultant: PCI Pennelli Consulting 
Glazing: MiTek (formerly Benson Industries)
Vertical Transportation Subcontractor: KONE Elevators & Escalators
Pneumatic Tube Systems: Swisslog
Hardware Consultant: Allegion