Resting atop a hill visible from Interstate 81 near Staunton, VA is the Western State Hospital. Operating at maximum capacity prior to construction, this project could not have come at a better time as the need for more beds had been growing rapidly. In total, 56 new beds and adequate operational features were added to the facility in anticipation of high service rates not slowing down any time soon. Currently, Western State Hospital is one of only two treatment centers in the Shenandoah Valley with the ability to administer inpatient mental health services. Aside from the overwhelming demand for patient rooms, the facility also needed offices and other operational amenities such as consulting, exam, and laundry rooms. A central Nurse Station will be located at the epicenter of each floor in the newly constructed wing. Within the addition, the first and second floor’s layout will mimic one another and have the same architectural design. The new wing is comprised of 49,415 square feet. Included in the project, too, is a minor renovation needed to tie the new wing in to the existing structure. Just shy of 4,670 square feet of the existing facility will undergo moderate change. The majority of the scope for renovations is creating hallways leading in to the new wing and constructing smaller storage rooms around them. Security and safety were also major components of this project. Given the nature of the facility and the unique needs of each patient, construction had to be performed keeping all of that in mind. Like any other hospital, technological aspects of key codes and door locks, surveillance cameras and alarms, and code compliant materials were imperative to successfully completing this project.

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