BEHAVIORAL HEALTH : Surrey Memorial Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit is designed to be a calming to be a calming environment for patients ranging in age from young children to teens, with careful consideration to acoustics, dimmable lighting, and modular furniture.

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit (CAPSU) at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, is a specialized unit for children and teenagers with urgent mental health issues requiring a five- to seven-day stay in the hospital for stabilization. The 10-bed unit opened in May 2017 in a renovated space previously occupied by the hospital’s emergency department. A major challenge faced in the design process was how to configure the space given that there was only one exterior window to bring in natural daylight. Through a collaborative and Lean-based planning process, KRA—Kirsten Reite Architecture (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) worked with clinicians to remove redundant programing, which allowed the space to be opened up. The project team also defined a back-of-house area for staff and created a large, open multipurpose lounge, dining, and activity space for patients.

Project Details:

Facility name: Surrey Memorial Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Short Stay Unit

Location: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Completion date (month and year): May 2017

Owner: Fraser Health Authority

Total unit area: 5,920 sq. Ft.

Total construction cost: $2.8 million

Cost/sq. ft.: Approx. $470

Architecture: KRA—Kirsten Reite Architecture

Interior Design: KRA—Kirsten Reite Architecture

Environmental Graphics: Signals Design Group

Contracting/Construction: Kinetic Construction Ltd.

Engineering: Bush, Bohlman and Partners (structural), AME Consulting Group Ltd. (mechanical), MMM Group Limited (electrical)