DPTHE DESIGN PARTNERSHIPSelected Mental Health Experience

T H E D E S I G N PA R T N E R S H I P M E N T A L H E A L T H P R O J E C T S

Contact: The Design Partnership 415.777.3737 info@dpsf.comOffice: 1412 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109 www.dpsf.com

THE DESIGN PARTNERSHIP LLP, Architects + Planners

is an architectural firm whose work is of exceptional

relevance to our times and is characterized by its sensi-

tive and resonant responses to local traditions, land-

scape and context as well as by its innovative aesthetic

and leading edge technology.

Selected MENTAL HEALTH Experience is a selection of

several recent mental health facilities where we have

had the opportunities to use our long term experience

in advancing facilities that support excellent mental

health care. For us mental health facilities are excel-

lent opportunities to demonstrate how our built envi-

ronment can positively influence our behavior. Based

on our original research we have demonstrated how

the design of mental health facilities influences positive

outcomes for patients. We look for opportunities to

demonstrate this in new assignments.

Since its birth, now more than thirty years ago, The

Design Partnership success is due to the efforts of our

inspirational clients, distinguished consultants and our

dedicated staff who have contributed to our innovated

legacy over the years.

SELECTED MENTAL HEALTH PROJECTS

VA Palo Alto Campus Project

VA Palo Alto Acute Psychiatric Center

VA Puget Sound Campus Project

VA Puget Sound Mental Health Project

John George Psychiatric Pavilion

Camarillo Hospital Children’s Units

Placer County Children Emergency Shelter

STARS Adolescent Treatment Facility

Mary Graham Children’s Center

The Jewish Home Psychiatric Wing Remodel

Klamath County Integrative Health Building

Additional Mental Health Experience

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The VA Palo Alto Campus Project is comprised of eight

unique projects that are centered on healing Veter-

ans and advancing medical technology. 1. The Acute

Psychiatric Care facility is currently under construc-

tion and includes four inpatient nursing units, surround-

ing outdoor enclosed patient gardens, an outpatient

mental health clinic, administrative offices and a utility

building. The other campus projects are with The De-

sign Partnership as Associate Architects, and include the

following projects: 2. Polytrauma/Blind Rehab Center,

3. Ambulatory Care Center, 4. Aquatic Center, 5. Re-

search Laboratory, 6. Parking Structure, Underground

Utilities, and Healing Gardens. While we have had the

opportunity to work with the VA on all of these projects,

we want to draw your attention to the Acute Psychiatric

Care Facility on the following pages.

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The VA Palo Alto Acute Psychiatric Facility is designed

to accommodate 80 inpatients in four distinct units. It

also includes spaces and facilities for outpatient pro-

grams and administrative functions. The design incorpo-

rates several concepts which have been implemented

and tested by The Design Partnership on other mental

health facilities. These include ready access to outdoor

courtyards which do not require staff to accompany the

patients, back to back nurses stations which enable the

sharing of staff between units in times of need, swing

beds between units, which allow designated units to

flex in size according to demand, excellent observation

and control from the nurses station of all patient areas

so that staff can assist in a timely manner, patient rooms

with designated areas for each patient, that support

concepts of self identification. The Veterans Adminis-

tration has selected this project to be the model for

all of their mental health facilities and have recently

completed Design Guidelines based on this design. We

had the opportunity to help create these guidelines.”

111. Acute Psychiatric Care Facility, 78,000 sf

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The VA Puget Sound Campus Project is a striking addi-

tion to an existing aging hospital campus. The addition

is contextually responsive in its scale and orientation

and incorporates a new central plaza that unites the

campus’ past, present and future. The new addition is

composed of three distinct and unique projects that are

linked to Mental Health treatment and research. The

Design Partnership as Associate Architect planned and

designed the new 1. Mental Health Services and Re-

search Building, a new 2. 1,000 stall Parking Structure,

and a 3. Seismic Upgrade of the existing campus Hos-

pital that required careful and sensitive phasing of in-

terior renovation to maintain existing operations during

construction. The projects required extensive coordina-

tion with VA personnel, and considerable understand-

ing of the constraints of the existing campus facilities,

utilities and operations.

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The Mental Health Treatment and Research Building

for VA Puget Sound Seattle provides outpatient men-

tal health and substance abuse treatment on the lower

levels and a range of clinical research facilities on the

upper levels. The treatment facilities include a broad

range of treatment options: a personal recovery cen-

ter (day hospital), substance abuse counseling and

group therapy, mental health counseling and group

therapy, suicide prevention, homeless veteran services,

opiate substitution therapy, and an educational center.

The research resources include both wet and dry labo-

ratories, biomechanics facilities, and a clinical research

observation unit for patients participating in research

protocols. In support of this new building we are also

designing a new entry plaza and parking garage. The

front door location brings dignity to mental health care,

which is often relegated to a back door location.

171. Mental Health Services & Research, 200,000 sf

18 1. Mental Health Services & Research

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211. Mental Health Services & Research

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John George Psychiatric Pavilion provides a variety of

services for acute psychiatric patients within three se-

cured buildings forming a small, safe campus. Located

within a larger county health campus, this 112,000 sf

facility is tailored to respond to the needs of both staff

and patients in six different treatment programs, in-

cluding emergency and critical care. Interior connec-

tions among the parts simplify resource sharing and

back up staffing.

The central courtyard provides a focus for the entire

campus while permitting direct access to each service.

The simple landscape provides openness within a pro-

tected facility.

As Associate Architect The Design Partnership provided

planning, design and programming services.

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Camarillo Hospital Children’s Unit provides a stable, safe and

home-like atmosphere for the care of children. The design cre-

ates a nurturing sense by drawing upon residential attributes such

as a central living space, kitchen and bright, sunny bedrooms.

Each of the three 22-bed units is divided into 11-bed wings to

create smaller groupings of children. The exteriors create the

effect of clustered cottages with patios that extend the living room

space and reduce the feeling of confinement.

The design is based on our original research of how specific environ-

ments shape behavior. We conducted historical behavior mapping

of the previous facility to identify spaces with frequent incidents

of behavioral problems. The new design addressed these issues as

demonstrated by two successful post occupancy evaluations.

Our research showed that behavior problems were associated with

specific types of spaces, most of which were poorly supervised.

The study identified and tracked 28 specific behavior character-

istics, several of which directly related to facility design. The new

facility addressed these issues: nurses’ stations had unobstructed

views of patient common areas, corridors were eliminated, patient

rooms opened directly onto a common space, spaces were scaled

and positioned to enable the patients to have choices in degrees

of participation, direct supervised access was provided to outdoor

spaces, access to other outdoor areas was directly supervised by

the nurse station. Two post occupancy evaluations validated the

success of these design initiatives. The associated problems were

virtually eliminated by the new design. The project received two

national design awards

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Placer County Children Emergency Shelter is a new fa-

cility providing short-term housing for children from the

ages of 6 to18. The Shelter includes an accompany-

ing school building of approximately 5,000 sf. Other

components are: housing (30 beds), living and dining

areas, medical and psychological services, recreation

facilities, visitation space, and educational services.

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STARS Adolescent Treatment Facility aims to restore

children to their highest level of independent self-care

by having multiple levels of treatment on one campus.

Using the therapeutic community model to deliver this

care reduces the total cost of care. The STARS program

provides outpatient, residential and sub-acute care at

a single location.

The campus-style treatment center surrounds a land-

scaped courtyard, creating an enhanced sense of

community. The courtyard is used for recreation, per-

formances and outdoor classrooms. Four connected

wood-sided cottages make up the residential group

home. A 15-bed skilled nursing building provides sub-

acute care. There is also an on-campus school which

provides a symbolic form of “the little red schoolhouse”

to emphasize the importance of education in gaining

independence.

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Mary Graham Children’s Center has been designed for

children who need temporary shelter in a warm, pro-

tective environment. The eight-acre campus complex

opened in June 2003 with nine new structures, replac-

ing an inadequate and antiquated county facility. The

Design Partnership worked with the client to verify the

program, coordinate the work of the Office of Educa-

tion which included three school structures, and develop

the overall campus plan.

The campus includes a central green space and play

area surrounded by housing for 60 children in four co-

tages, facility administration and intake, child advo-

cacy center, visitation building, multipurpose building,

classroom building, library, and arts/storage building.

The cottages are paired to allow swing beds between

each pair, facilitating adjustment to changing census.

The facility has been designed to exceed Title 24 En-

ergy Efficiency standards and utilize non-toxic, child-

friendly materials.

The new buildings were designed to provide an attrac-

tive campus that supports the counseling and education

of the children in a safe, stable environment during an

average two- to three-week stay before placement in

foster homes, satellite homes or treatment programs.

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The Jewish Home Psychiatric Wing Remodel project is

a renovation of a short-term psychiatric nursing facility

for the elderly. Built in 1981, the facility was originally

designed for skilled nursing and needed to be modi-

fied to meet the requirements for a psychiatric pro-

gram.

The Design Partnership worked closely with staff mem-

bers to develop a redesign that departed from the

existing institutional setting and created a home-like

atmosphere conducive to patient well-being.

The unit includes a self-contained dining hall/activity

area, as well as its own nurses station to increase secu-

rity and overall monitoring of residents.

As an additional safety precaution, the facility was

outfitted with reduced glare lighting.

The Jewish Home Psychiatric Wing Remodel project is

a renovation of a short-term psychiatric nursing facility

for the elderly. Built in 1981, the facility was originally

designed for skilled nursing and needed to be modi-

fied to meet the requirements for a psychiatric pro-

gram.

The Design Partnership worked closely with staff mem-

bers to develop a redesign that departed from the

existing institutional setting and created a home-like

atmosphere conducive to patient well-being.

The unit includes a self-contained dining hall/activity

area, as well as its own nurses station to increase secu-

rity and overall monitoring of residents.

As an additional safety precaution, the facility was

outfitted with reduced glare lighting.

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Klamath County Intergrative Health Building study included site se-

lection, programming and concept design. The building will bring

together Mental Health and Public Health services in one place to

more effectively integrate available community health resources to

meet community needs. Current operations on multiple sites make

effective, economical integration of care difficult. The existing, aging

structures are inefficiently configured and impractical to remodel to

meet current codes and standards (HIPPA), air quality, safety and

accessibility (ADA), and energy efficiency.

A new building, consolidating Mental Health and Public Heath in an

integrated building will facilitate the following:

• one-stop care for County residents;

• more comprehensive, multi-disciplinary care for residents with

complex physical and behavioral health needs;

• better service to at-risk, hard-to-reach populations;

• shared regulatory compliance strategies to meet new state and

federal guidelines for patient privacy, handicapped access,

and occupational safety;

• integrated and shared administrative and information systems;

• increased accountability;

• improved service capacity;

• better use of available resources through reduced redundancy

and duplication;

• increased value to the community per tax dollar spent.

The Design Partnership developed this plan in association with

SOLARC Architecture & Engineering and Rowell Brokaw Architects.

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ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH EXPERIENCE

• Alameda County Health Care Services STARS Adolescent Treatment Facility, Oakland, CA

• Grossmont Hospital Rehabilitation Unit, La Mesa, CA

• Alameda County Health Care Services John George Psychiatric Pavilion, San Leandro, CA

• Bayview Hunter’s Point Foundation, San Francisco, CA

• Butte County Behavioral Health Youth Services, Oroville, CA

• Lakes Crossing Facility, Sparks, NV

• Nevada Mental Health Institute, Reno, NV

• Sacramento County Psychiatric Health Facility, Sacramento, CA

• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Public/Mental Health Clinics, Santa Clara, CA

• Stanislaus Medical Center Behavioral Health Center, Modesto, CA

• University of California, Irvine Medical Center Neuropsychiatric Center, Orange, CA

• Alaska State Psychiatric Institute, Anchorage, AK

• CDC, Mental Health Delivery Systems, Various, CA

• Lutheran Medical Center Mental Health Facility, Omaha, NE

• Marin County Mental Health Unit, Ross, CA

• Napa State Hospital Building 195, Napa, CA

• Patton State Hospital, CA

• Porterville Developmental Center, Porterville, CA

• San Diego County Mental Health Facility, San Diego, CA

• San Jose Hospital Mental Health Unit, San Jose, CA

• Solano County Mental Health Services, Fairfi eld, CA

• Highland Hospital, Oakland, CA

• San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA

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THE DESIGN PARTNERSHIPARCHITECTS + PLANNERS

Contact: The Design Partnership 415.777.3737 info@dpsf.comOffice: 1412 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109 www.dpsf.com