Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1101469
A PR IL 2019 | 59 Healing Spirit House PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED WHITE/COURTESY HDR Healing Spirit House by ROBIN BRUNET P erhaps the highest compliment that could be paid to the new Healing Spirit House is that with its appeal- ing entrance, the clean horizontal lines of one wing, and the design-imprinted concrete face of the other, the facility looks like it belongs on a college campus. Instead, the 130,000-square-foot building is located on the 244-acre Riverview Lands in Coquitlam, B.C., and provides 38 beds, recreational and aca- demic space, and a variety of outreach programs to treat youths with psychi- atric and behavioural difficulties. Designed to LEED Gold standards, the four-storey Healing Spirit House also accommodates an unusually diverse range of programmatic ele- ments: a self-contained Provincial Assessment Centre with its own secure admissions area and entrance; a Response Program for youths at risk; the Maples Dala Program (resi- dential treatment for youths); Maples Crossroads (a secure 90-day residen- tial program for adolescents); and a Complex Care Unit, which provides a suite of therapeutic services. The Ministry of Citizens Services played a key role in bringing Healing Spirit House to fruition, including plan- ning, development, negotiating the land lease agreement with BC Housing, and procuring and managing the project contracts. The Ministry also worked closely with service provid- ers, Kwikwetlem First Nation and the project team to ensure the design of the building provided the best environ- ment for recovery and wellness. "The Healing Spirit House is a state-of-the-art facility that was col- laboratively designed in order to help B.C.'s vulnerable youth recover and heal," says Jinny Sims, Minister of Citizens' Services. "Our government is taking action to ensure critical sub- stance use and mental health supports for young people are in place when they need help the most." A design-build delivery model was developed with architects HDR and PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. as leads (IBI Group was chosen as the compliance role advisor to the client on the project). They were charged with the task of creating a campus- like ambiance as well as adhering to an accelerated development schedule. "We started the design during the RFP phase in August 2016, were awarded the project in January 2017, and PCL broke ground in May of that year," says Stephen Rowe, associate at HDR. After extensive collaboration with stakeholders and Kwikwetlem First Nation, the design team developed a facility that relied heavily on materials and natural light (via glazing, secure gardens, and recreational zones) to provide the campus ambiance. "We used light and inviting colours to evoke optimism and vitality, along with wood-look panelling that comple- ments the natural surroundings," says Rowe. "For the interior spaces, we took inspiration from a list of indigenous plants provided by the Kwikwetlem First Nation and distilled it into a set of colour schemes and graphics." 1:54 PM