The Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services

As Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services began plans to add a new facility on an existing campus, the team committed to the guiding principle of “No Wrong Door” with the goal of creating an adolescent and child center that offered multiple points of metaphorical entry to make the process to receiving effective treatment easier for families.

Taking inspiration from the wooded site, a treehouse theme helped guide design decisions while also infusing the center with the freedom and refuge the forest provides. The team created efficiencies and increased staff collaboration and patient circulation through carefully planned shared and multifunctional spaces. This includes the treatment mall (with an art room, gross motor skills gym, and off-unit dining, among other amenities), family lounge, food service and retail dining, and staff lounge, all of which support both inpatient and outpatient staff, patients, and families.

Privacy and separation were also important, as demonstrated by the many outdoor spaces the design incorporates—from separate pocket parks for PHP and urgent care, to a private staff patio, to secure outdoor courtyards for each inpatient unit.