Behavioural & Mental Health

New Methods in Behavioural and Mental Health Care Design

Our understanding of mental and behavioural health has grown exponentially in the past decade. With the larger scope of knowledge in the field, patient needs are better understood and previously unknown needs have been revealed. As a result, new methods are required to design these care environments.

Behavioural and mental health is on a spectrum of varying severity and patient needs, and we are uniquely positioned to design facilities across that continuum, understanding design’s purpose and priority at each step. Our portfolio of award-winning design work includes acute and forensic psychiatric hospitals, healthcare within correctional settings, less acute residential treatment facilities, outpatient care, addiction treatment centres, and more.

Evidence and Experience: A Diverse Approach

We take a diverse approach to each facility, because a singular, “one-size-fits-all,” approach to designing for behavioural and mental health can no longer be used, and we strive to better understand these environments and the patients who seek care, so that our design intellect grows and evolves in tandem with the field. Evidence-based design principles, post-occupancy evaluations and research on the efficacy of our designs at every scale inform each design endeavour.

We incorporate experience-based criteria and address key factors prevalent to the lives of patients, such as their need for privacy, safety, control of their environment, easy orientation, natural light, the minimisation of anxiety, and opportunities for social interaction. We are dedicated to continued growth and learning in the pursuit of designing facilities that help people suffering from mental illness, addiction or behavioural disorders wherever they are along their healing journey by providing better solutions that result in better outcomes for patients and our clients.