Western State Hospital - Forensic Center of Excellence

Built on the Western State Hospital campus, this new 521,000 SF, 350-bed psychiatric hospital building is crucial to the State's vision for redefining and enhancing behavioral healthcare in Washington. When complete, the secure facility will house 350 beds dedicated to serve forensic patients who enter care through the criminal court system. By primarily focusing on forensic patients, it will enable other campus areas to serve civil patients more effectively.The design is embraces therapeutic principles to offer a calming environment rather than traditional institutional psychiatric hospitals. Sustainability and energy efficiency are core to the design, and the team is aiming for net-zero energy and LEED Gold certification. To make way for the project, 12 existing buildings were demolished. The project is part of a master plan that includes several other facility improvements to the existing Western State Hospital campus.