Juneau, Alaska
Completed in 2024, the Aurora Behavioral Health Center is a 21,000-sf inpatient and outpatient facility designed for Bartlett Regional Hospital and the City and Borough of Juneau. As the first crisis stabilization center for both adolescents and adults in Southeast Alaska, the center fills a critical gap in the region’s behavioral health continuum by providing urgent mental health intervention in a safe, supportive setting. Designed in close collaboration with crisis care providers, the project was guided by a clear imperative: to create a warm, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment that actively supports the delivery of empathetic, destigmatization on mental health care. The design emphasizes patient dignity, comfort, and connection to nature. Key strategies include providing patients with reasonable control over their environment and freedom of movement, maximizing access to natural light, and incorporating natural materials and views of nature throughout the facility. These elements work in concert to foster a sense of calm, reduce stress, and promote healing. The resulting three-story, steel-framed structure supports a broad range of behavioral health services. The facility operates 24/7, serving both adolescents (ages 12+) and adults (ages 18+), and includes eight short-term residential beds to provide immediate, around-the-clock care for individuals experiencing acute mental health crises.
