WEST BERGEN MENTAL HEALTHCARE

OAKLAND, NEW JERSEY

A 2 story office building comprising 30,000 square feet that will house a corporate headquarters and counseling facility for a non-profit organization. 

West Bergen Mental Healthcare is planned to be a LEED Gold certified project. Working with Poskanzer Skott Architects the building, as designed, will house the corporate headquarters of this non-profit organization and include counseling space for their clients. Parking for employees is located below the building in order to reduce the impervious footprint of the project. The rooftop of the building will offer a children's playground, an open air patio with a garden, and provide space for a solar panel farm. While the patio and playground will contribute to the overall "green" footprint of the building, the primary function of these spaces is to provide comfortable and nurturing environs to afford clients the opportunity to express what challenges them.  The massing of the building is meant to compliment the surrounding  commercial structures. The overall aesthetics and material choices reflect the neighborhood. The glass enclosed staircase, the carved out entry volumes, and the projecting metal sunscreens are employed as visual devices to establish the building's individual identity.