How Can Behavioral Healthcare Spaces Be Designed With Patients In Mind? One Industry Expert Weighs In
A welcoming, patient-focused healthcare experience is no longer a luxury. It’s what consumers are demanding.
And it all begins with first impressions.
As soon as a patient walks through the facility doors, their care experience begins. Incorporating a more homelike environment, particularly in behavioral health centers, can enhance patient comfort and satisfaction. Warm lighting, single-bed rooms and natural lighting can be particularly effective, according to a study commissioned by NHS Scotland.
Scott Anthes, senior project manager at Clark Construction Group, said these thoughtful and intentional design trends are becoming the industry norm.
“Shifting away from a cold, institutional atmosphere is essential,” Anthes said. “No one wants to foster that kind of environment. Our goal is to design and build environments that truly support healing, and this involves thinking outside the box and getting creative.”
Anthes will speak at Bisnow's Pacific Northwest Healthcare Conference on Oct. 16 in Seattle.
Bisnow spoke with Anthes to learn more about the trends in the market, how Clark Construction is working to provide users with a more patient-centered experience, and the challenges facing today’s healthcare operators.
Bisnow: What trends have you noticed in the Pacific Northwest’s healthcare sector this year?
Anthes: The demand for behavioral health facilities is as high as it's ever been. There’s been an enhanced focus on renovating existing structures as opposed to new construction, though new construction is still a key component of this sector. We’re facing tariffs and material uncertainty, so a lot of folks are getting creative in the way they design and build projects to get them to pencil. Projects that focus on patient experience and feel less like traditional hospitals are also gaining traction.
Bisnow: At this event, you will be discussing transforming behavioral health spaces. What design or care model innovations do you think have the greatest potential to transform these spaces?
Anthes: A big focus of what we've seen at our new forensic hospital project at Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Washington, is moving away from an institutional feel. That’s the last thing that anyone wants to create. We want to create better environments for patients to heal.
There are a few staples in behavioral health projects, such as ligature- and tamper-resistant components and security caulking, that we have to include. But finding ways to incorporate things like big windows, light paint colors that are more calming and really placing an emphasis on access to nature are very important.
At Western State Hospital, there are several courtyards that will be areas where patients can go. Some are recreational with volleyball and basketball courts, and some are truly almost parklike, where there are benches, shade structures and trees where you can sit and relax and take in the outdoors. At our Center for Behavioral Health and Learning project at the University of Washington, there were similar themes of big windows letting in lots of light, using calming colors, and local photography and artwork to provide some unique touches.
Bisnow: What are some of the challenges confronting participants in this specific market?
Anthes: Cost and financing are always big challenges. However, a lot of this work is happening on active campuses that can't be shut down for construction. There aren't a lot of greenfield sites getting built for behavioral health facilities, so working within these campuses and not disrupting the patient care is a challenge.
In addition to trying not to disturb patient care or normal operations, another challenge is making sure we don't impact the utilities that are serving critical facilities. Many of these campuses are riddled with 100 years of utilities that people didn't do a great job of marking decades ago.
We have technology now that can scan the entire surface area of a project. It does a really nice job of picking up utilities down to a certain depth as well as identifying their size. Our team also went through 100 years of documents and identified every utility we could. We took all of that, consolidated it, built it in a virtual model and then overlaid our new work on top of it. Careful planning is essential to getting through challenges such as these while minimizing the potential impacts of construction on active facilities.
Bisnow: What developments is Clark Construction working on or has recently completed?
Anthes: At Western State Hospital, we’ve done tenant improvement projects on some existing floors in the building, and we're currently building a new administrative building and a new forensic hospital on the campus.
Nationally, Clark is working at a Veterans Affairs facility in El Paso, Texas. We've recently delivered campus upgrades at Elgin Mental Health Center in Elgin, Illinois. Down in San Diego, there’s an acute psychiatric hospital that we’re working on. This important work is going on across the country, and Clark is honored to be a part of it.
This article was produced in collaboration between Clark Construction Group and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.
Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.
