Broughton Hospital, NC Department of Health and Human Services

The Broughton Hospital is a new facility for the care of patients requiring mental health treatment in the western portion of North Carolina.  The new hospital will replace a campus of existing buildings  -constructed between the late 1880’s and the early 1960’s - that have become obsolete and cannot be adapted to meet current codes and the needs of NC Department of Health and Human Services.

The project includes 382 beds for acute, geriatric, medical, adolescent, forensic and long term mental health patients.  These beds are configured in patient care units (PCU’s) containing 12 single and 6 double occupancy rooms as well as patient and staff support areas.  In addition to the PCU’s, the facility provides treatment malls (classrooms, dining and recreation areas), patient support (clinics, dental and lab facilities) and administrative support (offices, conference rooms and building support services).

The architectural character of the new building is a reflection of the older campus, offering a contemporary interpretation of the original Victorian era Avery Building which was based on the “Kirkbride Plan”.  The new hospital pulls programmatic functions together into one envelope while creating a campus setting with smaller wings, outdoor courtyards and varying rooflines.  Administrative functions, patient living and treatment areas are placed along a central spine covered by a roof form which echoes the profile of the original building.  This spine serves as an internal street and passageway between the more private patient areas on one side, and the group treatment and activity areas on the other.  Administrative and clinical needs are on either end of the spine.  The group treatment “hubs” frame a great lawn that opens to views of the bucolic landscape while maintaining the patients’ need for privacy.

While the original Avery building sits atop a hill within the campus, the new facility nestles into the rolling hillside below allowing the four story building to reveal only two levels on the public side.  The new hospital takes further advantage of the site’s topography by locating utilitarian functions such as kitchen and mechanical services beneath the main level, providing a clear separation of patient areas from service functions.