After months of planning, this originally $115-million, 200-bed project came to a halt due to budget, location and staffing concerns. Work eventually restarted under new owner leadership, but this time with half the bed scope, requiring a complete redesign to meet new budget and building requirements. Despite this, the $69.56-million project reached completion on time and within budget in June 2023.

This is the first new state facility of its kind to be built in more than 60 years—replacing the aging Caro Center that was built in 1913. The complex addresses a decades-long shortage of state psychiatric beds. Most of the building is single story, with administration and training areas located on the second floor. The building consists of four separate 25-bed patient units.

Redesign workshops on the MEP systems cut costs by 34%, while utilizing prefabricated exterior walls expedited building enclosure, minimizing accompanying structural systems and further reducing project costs. The team navigated pandemic and weather-related supply chain issues as well, overcoming an eight-week delay in structural steel by resequencing work. In response to national delays for roofing insulation, the team decided to change the entire roofing system, thus avoiding slowdowns. Early bid packaging for civil and utility work eliminated conflicts between utilities and critical path building work. The team overcame an eight-week delay in structural steel delivery by resequencing work.