Project Data:

Completion Date:     7/1/2025

Square Footage:      112414

Building Use:           Wellness Campus - crisis/urgent care, outpatient programs, social services, wellness, education, and residential/short term care

Project Description:

Like many others, the County of Orange is seeking new & innovative approaches to providing a comprehensive system of care for mental health and wellness. The Be Well Irvine campus will support County-wide efforts to improve care and wellness by creating a community of services that will be accessible to all, de-stigmatize mental health, celebrate wellness, and honor the individual. This unique campus aims to meet the needs of everyone along their journey of wellness supporting them where they are. It is truly designed to support “All of Us Together”.
The Be Well Irvine Campus is the second campus in orange county, developed as public-private partnership, between Mind OC, County of Orange, CalOptima, and Hospital partners. The campus is a regional hub for mental health services and provides a full continuum of care. Programs include crisis/urgent care, outpatient programs, social services, wellness, education, and residential/short term care programs (for adults, adolescents, and women with children, including mental health, co-occurring disorders, and substance use treatment). The campus is located on 22-acres of an existing 108-acre parcel that is owned by the County of Orange. The site is the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which was decommissioned as an active base in 1999. The project included soil mitigation efforts to remove legacy impacts, bringing renewed purpose to the site, revitalizing the area and preserving greenfield space. The campus has been designed to provide outdoor places of respite for both clients and staff. Horticulture therapy activities will be offered to allow participants to connect with the earth. Clients will also have access to a gym, basketball and pickleball courts, walking paths, and outdoor spaces for yoga/tai chi.
All four buildings are pursuing LEED for New Construction v4 group certification. Campus landscaping is designed to reduce the project’s water needs by a minimum of 50% during peak season and will be served with 100% recycled water for irrigation. The selection of building materials prioritized human and environmental health. 100% of paints, coatings, flooring, ceilings, and insulation will meet strict chemical emissions testing.
The project is partially funded through State of California BHCHP grant funding, as well as private funds, County, State and Federal funding. Transparency of project costs and value-based design decisions were important to the design process. The team worked to balance designing a campus that supports healing and wellness, met the project budget, and minimized maintenance supporting longevity.
The design process included the community, by gathering key stakeholders, non-profits and multicultural partners through feedback sessions, giving design perspective on the community and demographic needs. Open House events were held at the nearby Irvine Great Park to educate, inform, and communicate with residents about how the project will support their community and needs. Peer teams and individuals with lived experience shared their journeys and provided design feedback on the interior architecture. Many key stakeholders and organizations have spent hours informing, reviewing, and supporting the project to ensure that this campus truly provides a different experience for addressing mental health.

Design for Integration, Design for Equitable Communities, Design for Ecosystems, Design for Water , Design for Economy, Design for Energy, Design for Well-being, Design for Resources, Design for Change, Design for Discovery 

Design for Integration - The BeWell Irvine campus nestles into the suburban fabric of Irvine while wrapping along the border of Great Park. The campus’ design reflects the human-scale framework of the surrounding city of Irvine and its community. It consists of multi-functional healthcare services supporting behavioral clients that serves a variety of communities and demographics across all ages. It’s landscape design focuses on interstitial spaces that integrates these communities together in one space, such as the building for women’s, children and adolescent treatment. That treatment center includes play spaces to engage in both gross and fine motor skills while engaging children as well as adults. This campus’ unique purpose is to create a space that embeds value and care into the community while supporting a vibrant local life.

Design for Equitable Communities - The campus aims to create a space for healing and uplifting clients to reintegrate into the community. The buildings seeks opportunities to reduce embodied carbon, supporting future generations. ;. mothers and children as well as youth and adolescents. The campus supports people who will continue to build the future economy and social structure of Irvine, such as young mothers, young children and teenage youths. Integrated activities and outdoor spaces serve a range of ages, abilities, and mindsets providing a comforting and healing environment. The campus is adjacent to the Great Park, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Pretend City, providing opportunities for partnerships and additional resources. Its adjacency to these places such as the Great Park connects people to gives chances for participants to engage in sports, farmers markets and other local events, promoting healthy living and active lifestyles.

Design for Ecosystems -The entire campus is designed to fit within the regional context of Irvine. Local plants, flora, and fauna are used to create active spaces, places of respite, and places of travel. The landscape is experienced daily through access to support yards and play yards, courtyards, and pathways for walking. The campus’ adjacency to the Great Park includes a landscaping design intent to building up the regional ecosystem and replacing indigenous plants. The campus also provides a garden area that clients can use as a form of therapy or production of crops for use in the residential kitchens.

Design for Water - Regional landscaping and xeriscaping, along with the use of city provided reclaimed water for landscaping help to reduce the use of one of southern California's most valuable resources. Low flow fixtures are specified where appropriate based on function.

Design for Economy -A good design is flexible and timeless. The campus has been designed to support current short stay wellness and behavioral health programs and for future programs. Spaces have been standardized and design to be able to accommodate all types of occupants. This universal design concept will reduce the need to remodel for future occupants and programs, reducing the cost impact to the owner and the cost impact on our environment. Regionally relevant materials and landscaping provide a welcoming and timeless and design that will be appropriate for many decades. The project will analyze material durability and key system specifications to ensure we are making decisions that not only support the initial budget but overall life cycle costs and value. The design is regionally appropriate integrating into the surrounding neighborhoods and bring wellness services that promote a strong healthy community.

Design for Energy - BeWell is committed to building performance, will complete building commissioning, and will maintain building systems. The project will comply with AB802 which requires that BeWell benchmark the energy consumption and submit their data annually. While the programs support short term stays, the space is home to these occupants. The spaces are organized around series of courtyards that allow natural light and ventilation to spill into the interiors. Located in southern California passive mechanical solutions can be utilized almost year-round. Through larger operable window walls occupants will have a strong connection to the outdoor environment. While the building is required to be Photovoltaic ready, Be Well is planning to install photovoltaics shortly after occupancy, with the goal to be able to produce half of the energy consumption through the rooftop arrays. Buildings throughout the campus employed low sloping roof lines with standing seam roofing to easily attach photovoltaic arrays utilizing a clip system.

Design for Well-being - The intent of the programs within the campus to encourage recovery and a healthy lifestyle. The three core design intents for the programs of this campus are Educational & Therapy, Fitness & Play, and Relaxation. Programs open opportunities for people to spend time in the community gardens to provide nutritional knowledge and food sources, such as the Sensory Garden and Therapy Farm. The programs also includes amenities that promote healthy fitness through campus’ outdoor spaces for activity and exercise, such as basketball courts and playgrounds, as well as an outdoor gym at the residential treatment center. Lastly, pockets of courtyard spaces designed intentionally for peaceful mindfulness and relaxation. Collectively, the whole campus provides a broad collection of types of spaces, and the programs in itself offers care for recovery for all people regardless of social status. Considerations for all ages and abilities are given to physical space and program. The vast variety of programs of the campus offers a wide opportunity of connectivity to nature through its architecture of indoor-outdoor spaces, vast windows and high ceilings offering fresh air and daylight. Improving its air quality through its air filtration system enhancing clean, fresh oxygen for the participants of the program indoors.

Design for Resources - Interior materials contain specifications of net zero impact, specifically Bottle Floor by Shaw, to help in the greater effort. The team is exploring a possibility of local material reuse through the reuse of on-site materials during the building of the campus. The team will utilize local artists to add murals and art to the space, to celebrate the purpose and culture of the center, while recognizing people in the local community.

Design for Change - A sustainability charette was held with stakeholders to discuss the resiliency required for the campus and building. The buildings infrastructure is not built to serve as a community resource, however, housing and assisting people with behavioral disorders and substance abuse disorders, these spaces can be used for public gathering if need be, for information sharing. It is possibility of have some shelter in place items like food and water storage, and on-site communication services.

Design for Discovery - The team will perform multiple post occupancy evaluations for data collection and comparison. This information will be used to identify client experience, use of spaces, information around right sizing of units, and impact of play/outdoor areas. We can take these findings to see if there are any additional improvements that can be made at low or no cost, also providing lessons learned and key takeaways for future work. The spaces integrate provide courtyards and moments that intrigue or guide the client in to public or private space. Natural daylighting creates change in internal environment keeping with the body’s natural circadian rhythm.

Completion Date:     7/1/2025

Square Footage:      112414

Building Use:           Wellness Campus - crisis/urgent care, outpatient programs, social services, wellness, education, and residential/short term care

Location:                 Irvine, CA

Boulder Associates

Gensler - Concept Design Partner

Mind OC
County of Orange
CalOptima
Hospital partners

TK1SC - MEP
KPFF - Structural - Phase 1
Miyamoto - Structural - Phase 2
Tait & Associates - Civil

LandLab - Phase 1
Ridge Landscape Architects - Phase 2

Oltmans Construction Co.
DBAC, Inc.

California Commercial - Project Manager/ Owner's Representative

N/A