Built of Montana, for Montana
July 30, 2023
Introducing Banksy, Shodair’s New Facility Dog
August 3, 2023
Breaking Down Barriers with Intentional Design
“There’s no other building like Shodair’s new hospital. The new hospital has more windows than I have ever seen in a behavioral health setting. The Hope Space and its transformative use is a huge step in therapeutic design.”
Since 1896, Shodair Children’s Hospital has been an integral part of the Montana community – breaking down barriers and building up hope through specialized psychiatric care, innovative treatment programs, and a nationally-renowned medical genetics program. And now, thanks to the longtime investment of partners like SMA Architecture and Design, our physical building is beginning to echo that story as well.
Located at the edge of Montana’s capital city and standing three stories tall is a children’s mental health hospital that you can see right through. Its windows stretch from floor to ceiling, reflecting aspiration both in and out. A public café adorns the building’s entrance, ready and eager to welcome all through its doors. And when the sun sets and the night rises, there, with its multicolored lights and illuminated interior, remains a beacon of hope – shining for the world to see. For years, Shodair has fought against the stigma of mental health, working from the inside to educate, motivate, and empower. Today, we continue that effort in a way that can not only be heard, but seen – through the intentional design of our new hospital building.
“There’s no other building like Shodair’s new hospital. The new hospital has more windows than I have ever seen in a behavioral health setting. The Hope Space and its transformative use is a huge step in therapeutic design.”
Since 1896, Shodair Children’s Hospital has been an integral part of the Montana community – breaking down barriers and building up hope through specialized psychiatric care, innovative treatment programs, and a nationally-renowned medical genetics program. And now, thanks to the longtime investment of partners like SMA Architecture and Design, our physical building is beginning to echo that story as well.
Located at the edge of Montana’s capital city and standing three stories tall is a children’s mental health hospital that you can see right through. Its windows stretch from floor to ceiling, reflecting aspiration both in and out. A public café adorns the building’s entrance, ready and eager to welcome all through its doors. And when the sun sets and the night rises, there, with its multicolored lights and illuminated interior, remains a beacon of hope – shining for the world to see. For years, Shodair has fought against the stigma of mental health, working from the inside to educate, motivate, and empower. Today, we continue that effort in a way that can not only be heard, but seen – through the intentional design of our new hospital building.
“From the very beginning of our visioning process, Shodair talked about how the building should look and feel,” recalled Becky. “They used words like ‘intentional’ and ‘open’; ‘safe’, ‘flexible’, and ‘hopeful’. It was clear that for both Shodair and SMA, this project was about way more than just drywall and doors or nuts and bolts. It was about really making a difference for mental healthcare as a whole.”
What cloaks itself as aesthetic design is a hospital building that is every bit intentional as it is functional. From the layout of the individual floors – designed to reflect the Montana ecosystem and act as a way finder of sorts, to the addition of unique and innovative spaces – like flex rooms in between the units, a public café, and a designated “living room” called the Hope Space, every 134,000 square feet of Shodair’s new building was constructed to either bring hope and inspiration or shine it out into the world.
“What we’re seeing happening in the move from the old facility to the new one is that people are beginning to see Shodair in a different light,” said Becky. “There’s been a lot of stigma around mental health and seeking care. And I think creating that transparency from both the inside and the outside – having it feel so open on both sides really takes a lot of that stigma away. It’s not hidden or tucked away. Rather, patients are portrayed as receiving care like at any other medical facility. And that’s extremely significant.”
Of Shodair’s patients, 99% of them come from right here in Montana. And that means that a majority of them see, hear, and feel the impact of Shodair and the stigma of mental health far before they ever step foot inside our building. While the real work will always be attributed to our patients, at the end of the day, we know that it takes all of us to break down the barriers and make Montana families whole again. And that’s what our new hospital stands for – to heal, help, and inspire hope for all Montanans, both from within and out.
Tonight, dozens of the most vulnerable Montana children will sleep safely in rooms designed just for them. And while you may never see inside of our new hospital, you will live in a world touched by the recovery of our patients. Your commitment today has the power to change the lives of Montana families tomorrow. Join our mission to heal, help, and inspire hope.
