To address a shortage of inpatient services for adolescents within the greater Baltimore area and elevate the overall experience in the child/adolescent psychiatry unit, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) relocated inpatient services to the eleventh floor of the campus’ North Hospital building. A driving force behind the project was to recognize and design for the developmental, emotional, and psychological differences between the youth at either end of the age spectrum. The unit also creates an active, human-centered healing process by removing many physical barriers between patients and staff and providing a variety of activity-based de-escalation spaces.

The design separates the child and adolescent populations, but a series of cross-corridor doors provide flexibility to allow individual areas to expand or contract to meet patient needs. The design team worked with UMMC to identify 1,300 s.f. of underutilized space on the floor above that was repurposed into recreation space for large muscle movement. Access to this remote space required a dedicated secure elevator and private corridor to allow safe movement of patients between the two floors.

In the main unit, staff touchdown spaces eliminate the need for a single central nurse station and allow staff to freely interact with patients. A corridor-long sensory path utilizes durable floor patterning to create games and physical therapy exercises, and a front porch with comfortable furniture and a sensory room offer additional options for decompression or meditation.

Designed in collaboration with architect of record, Living Design Lab.