CMTA Behavioral Health Design

Proven Expertise in Behavioral Healthcare Design

About CMTA

CMTA was founded in 1968 and is recognized as a national leader in high performance, sustainable design within the engineering industry. Our firm has leveraged our expertise in high performance, energy-efficient design into a nationwide practice that includes consulting engineering, performance contracting and zero energy design, technology solutions, and commissioning services.

CMTA prides itself on its data-driven, performance-based design process. Performance-based design uses benchmarking of our projects’ real-world energy usage as a challenge to our engineers to continuously improve energy performance. CMTA’s first signature performance-based design project was Richardsville Elementary School, the nation’s first operational Zero Energy school. Since then, our Zero Energy projects have led our firm into the national spotlight.

Because we walk the talk, we are true partners vested in sharing our knowledge with our clients. Our corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky and our Lexington, Kentucky offices are both zero energy buildings with perfect ENERGY STAR scores. And our CMTA Energy Solutions corporate office in Louisville is the first in the U.S. to operate as Zero Energy and achieve WELL Gold certification. CMTA strives to create strong relationships with building owners and managers while also focusing on the health and comfort of the people who live, work, and play in spaces we design.

National Behavioral Health Expertise and Partnerships

Since 1968, CMTA has maintained long-lasting and productive relationships with clients in the health care industry across the nation, proudly holding the project title of Engineer of Record. The firm has completed numerous master planning, MEP infrastructure renovations and new construction projects for a wide-variety of hospital types ranging from behavioral health hospitals to sprawling medical campuses. A few of these notable relationships are highlighted below.

10+ years of service

10+ years of service

20+ years of service

15+ years of service

10+ years of service

10+ years of service

UHS Granite Hills Hospital West Allis, Wisconsin

Behavioral Health Design Expertise

CMTA’s experience with design for behavioral health environments includes hundreds of facilities in over 28 states across the country. We understand that patient and staff safety is paramount and work closely with owners and the design team to identify and mitigate risk without compromising the project budget or schedule. Our national experience means that we are well-versed in working through unique regulatory issues in the early phases of design to ensure project success.

42% of beds nationwide

In 2021 CMTA designed over 42% of all new Behavioral Health beds nationwide

250+ New behavioral health hospitals

10K+ Beds nationwide

12M+ square feet of behavioral health construction

$3.4B in behavioral health Projects

Brockton Behavioral Health Brockton, Massachusetts

Occupant Health + Wellness

CMTA’s buildings are moving beyond energy efficiency and sustainability to lead the industry’s focus on improving occupant health. Our team has a vast understanding of the building performance metrics and design strategies that improve the built environment for occupant comfort and wellness. This knowledge allows us to be successful in incorporating strategies that improve the health and wellbeing of the occupant while still maintaining budget and energy efficiency goals.

Our continuous drive for improvement fuels our research into Indoor air quality, lighting, and comfort as markers for occupant wellness. This allows us to incorporate proven strategies into every project we complete. We focus on delivering the

best value for the building owner and the occupants, which goes beyond costs, and improves human health while maintaining budget and energy-efficiency goals.

Walking the Talk

We take great pride in being thought leaders, paving the way for others to follow. We accept this challenge with enthusiasm and responsibility. CMTA is a firm that has built its reputation on research and datadriven design.

We designed our own corporate office to achieve WELL Gold and operate Zero Energy. In 2020, the CMTA Energy Solutions Corporate Office became the first WELL Gold Certified, Zero Energy Building in the country.

We spend about 85% of our lives in buildings, and it is essential that architects and engineers understand how the built environment affects the health and wellness of its occupants.

Brockton Behavioral Health

Boston Medical Center | Brockton, Massachusetts

Boston Medical Center (BMC) is leading the way to more energy efficient healthcare facilities. Building upon successes with renewable energy systems on their MainCampus in Boston’s South End, BMC began construction on a new behavioral healthcare facility on their satellite campus in Brockton, Massachusetts.

This innovative heating and cooling design includes 88-500’ deep geothermal wells to serve the heat pump system for this 82 bed in-patient treatment center. Keeping renovation and operating costs on budget were paramount. It was the opinion of the stakeholders that net zero design would cost more and be more disruptive to the community during construction.

However, it was illustrated that geothermal wells would decrease energy costs and have a greater ROI than traditional heating and cooling systems, all while creating a healthy building for staff and patients.

Ensuring patient comfort and providing the optimal setting for recovery were the primary drivers for this project. However, the former nursing home was constructed in the 1970s with very inefficient masonry envelope systems. Replacing these elements with high performance enclosure details, to minimize heat transfer was essential.

Project at a Glance

Completion: 2022

Size: 70,000 SF; 82 beds

Project Type: New Construction Awards / Certifications:

– Zero Energy/Carbon Neutral Targeted

Southcoast Behavioral Health Hospital

Acadia | Dartmouth, Massachusetts

This new facility opened in 2016 and includes in and outpatient space for geriatric, adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients as well as a specialized dualdiagnosis program focused on treating behavioral diagnosis in combination with substance abuse issues. The facility includes outdoor activity areas and access to green space, a gymnasium, and group therapy spaces.

Project at a Glance

Size: 80,000 SF; 100 beds

Cost: $20,000,000

Project Type: New Construction

Laurel Ridge Treatment Center

Universal Health Services | San Antonio, Texas

CMTA provided MEP, IT, security and commissioning services for this 250-bed psychiatric hospital.

Laurel Ridge offers a comprehensive continuum of behavioral healthcare services, including acute programs for children, adolescents, adults, as well as residential treatment for children and adolescents. Programs include: acute residential treatment, chemical dependency, and psychiatric acute care.

The behavioral health facility also offers an extensive 60-bed military specific unit, specializing in PTSD. Mission Resiliency provides mental health treatment to active duty Service Members for combat trauma, military sexual trauma (MST), substance abuse, and dual diagnosis.

The campus-style facility is located on 18 acres in San Antonio, Texas. Living units are located at one end of the campus. The facility includes a school building, gymnasium, recreational facility, playgrounds, swimming pool, ROPES (Reality-Oriented Physical Experiential Situation Course), library, computer lab & dining room.

Project at a Glance

Completion: 2020

Size: 61,626 SF; 250 Beds

Cost: $20,000,000

Project Type: New Construction

Baystate Health + Kindred Healthcare Behavioral Health Hospital

Holyoke, Massachusetts

In and effort to address the shortage of behavioral health beds in the Holyoke region, Kindred Healthcare and Baystate Health formed a joint venture to build and operate a $43 million, 150-bed facility. This will increase patient access to inpatient behavioral healthcare for the area by more than 50 percent.

The facility supports a wide range of populations and is comprised of 72 beds for adults, 24 beds for child/adolescent, 24 beds for geriatric and 30 Continuing Care Inpatient Unit (CCU) beds.

The new, 13 acre campus is comprised of several structures connected by a pedway, and incorporates as much natural lighting as possible to promote a healing environment. The large four-story, 94,000 SF structure houses 120 beds, while an adjacent, onestory, 23,280 facility houses the DMH unit’s 30 beds. In addition, a standalone indoor gymnasium totals 4,150 SF.

Project at a Glance Completion: 2022

Size: 120,780 SF; 150 beds

Cost: $43,000,000

Acadia/Tower Health Behavioral Health Campus

Reading, Pennsylvania

Acadia is pleased to be partnering with a leading health system like Tower Health to provide these critically needed services in southeastern Pennsylvania. Working together, we will be able to integrate physical and mental healthcare to improve the overall health of patients.

— Debbie Osteen - Acadia Healthcare CEO

A joint-venture between Acadia Healthcare and Tower Health, this 90,809 square foot facility provides a full spectrum of behavioral health services in a safe, secure environment that’s conducive to short term healing and long-term recovery. With 144 beds, the hospital operates within 12 wings.

The comprehensive facility includes a general psychiatric unit, offering acute inpatient care for adults age 18 and older, a mood disorders unit for adults, children and adolescent pediatric units. In addition to inpatient services programs will include:

– Partial hospitalization program (PHP)

– Intensive outpatient program (IOP)

– Dual diagnosis services

– Outpatient counseling –

Physician services and consultations

In addition, dedicated area were created for recreation and group support. The 88-acre site (with 46 acres developed) also houses an adjacent two-story, 30,000 square foot medical office building.

Project at a Glance

Completion: 2020

Size: 90,809 SF; 144 beds

Cost: $35,000,000

New Children’s Behavioral Health Facility

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, College Hill Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati Children’s selected CMTA as the engineer of record for a new five-story facility that replaces the current inpatient building on the College Hill campus.

Encompassing 160,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art facility is 68% larger than the current one.

The new building includes private rooms for all inpatients – this enables families to spend more time on the units and even stay overnight with their child. In addition, there are dedicated spaces for group therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and recreational therapy. The facility also hosts expanded services for patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Project at a Glance Completion: Fall 2023 estimated

Size: 160,000 SF, 634 beds

Cost: $102,000,000

Project Type: New Construction, Design-Build

Prairie St. John’s Behavioral Health Hospital

Universal Health Services | Fargo, North Dakota

Located in Fargo, ND, Prairie St. John’s was founded in 1997 to provide behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and adults. The owners, United Health Services, Inc. (UHS), hired CMTA to design the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, technology, and security components for the new $37M Prairie St. John’s psychiatric hospital.

The 104,000 SF, 144-bed behavioral healthcare facility is located near the existing Prairie St. John’s and offers vast improvements for patients and staff. The new facility is expected to reduce utility costs by $150,000 to $200,000 annually.

CMTA’s engineering team members designed a healthcare facility that:

– Maximizes treatment and patient care space

– Increases interdisciplinary team collaboration (including psychiatrists, internal medicine physicians, clinical pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, and therapists)

– Improves the natural light and behavioral healthcarespecific design

– Enhances clinical treatment models

– Equips the facility wiht specialized programming and physician-led, medicationassisted treatment, as well as outpatient care

– Incorporates Hawthorne Elementary neighborhood’s signature brick aesthetic throughout different design aspects

Project at a Glance

Completion: 2023

Size: 104,000 SF; 144 beds

Cost: $37,000,000

Via Linda Behavioral Health Hospital

UHS + HonorHealth | Scottsdale, Arizona

To improve the region’s access to behavioral health services, HonorHealth partnered with Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) to build a new 2-story behavioral health facility.

CMTA provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services for the new 78,000 SF Via Linda Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Built on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community greenfield site, the facility offers 120 beds, serving adolescents, adults, and older adults. Available programs include behavioral and substance abuse disorders, as well as inpatient and outpatient care.

Project at a Glance Completion: 2022

Size: 78,000 SF; 120 beds

Cost: $27,800,000

Building Science Leadership