Southwood Children's Behavioral Healthcare
108 Bed Addition

To address a critical regional shortage in behavioral healthcare, Southwood and Acadia Healthcare developed a 66,371 SF, three-story inpatient hospital serving children and adolescents ages 4–18. The facility adds 108 much-needed inpatient beds in Western Pennsylvania, where access has been limited. 

IKM Architecture partnered with Southwood and Acadia to design six nursing units, three 16-bed and three 20-bed units, strategically mirrored across floors to support staff efficiency, clear lines of sight, and consistent care. The design prioritizes therapeutic engagement, emotional safety, and dignity with clearly defined quiet and active zones, social spaces, group therapy rooms, indoor and outdoor play areas, and on-unit dining to offer a sense of normalcy with routine, movement, and structure that support healing. 

The design emphasizes patient dignity and individuality through details like a light fixture outside each patient room to mimic stoops along the street, custom room “doormats” in the flooring, marker boards to serve as personalized signage for each room, and calming finishes selected to reduce anxiety. Security is fully integrated without feeling institutional by using anti-ligature fixtures, durable graphics that double as wall protection, and open social spaces that support supervised independence and peer connection. 

Both indoor and outdoor play areas are not required in inpatient behavioral health facilities, exceeding standard code requirements. Both play areas have ground secured, non-toxic, drainable turf, ground-anchored playground elements, and anti-ligature structures. The outdoor area also includes an exterior sallyport, separate from the new patient entry sallyport, to ensure only one patient unit uses the space at a time reducing potential elopement with staff entering and exiting; a 14’ tall fence with a 4’ angled top, engineered to resist climbing and withstand 350 pounds of body force. These elements ensure safety and support emotional regulation through physical activity. 

Another major challenge was accommodating real-time design updates driven by Acadia’s system-wide safety protocols. IKM adapted to incorporate changes to hardware, security systems, and supervision standards, all while minimizing schedule impacts. Close collaboration with the client and township police ensured enhanced safety measures and fast-tracked approvals without compromising the integrity of the design. 

This facility isn’t just an expansion, it’s a reset. A reimagining of what behavioral health spaces can and should feel like for patients, families, and staff. Born from direct collaboration with the hospital’s leadership and driven by evidence-based design principles, the result is a safe, flexible, and uplifting environment that delivers on its promise: to treat every child and adolescent with compassion, dignity, and care worthy of their journey toward healing.