Tailored to provide familiarity and comfort with inpatient and outpatient care to both voluntary and committed patients, Compass Health serves a lot of different people in different stages of their mental health and crisis recovery journeys. It offers a holistic care model that removes common barriers to seeking help and provides a path to more stabilized living. One of the primary hurdles to seeking care and receiving services is the perception of behavioral health facilities as being too institutional. To overcome this and make the idea of seeking care more approachable, Compass Health utilizes materials, massing, and connections to natural spaces to make the recovery process something to celebrate. To include courtyards at upper levels for patients and more views of the surrounding landscapes, Compass Health was constructed in an “H” shape, appearing as two smaller structures rather than an imposing institutional facility looming on the top of a hill. Responding to the hillside it’s located on, there are two obvious entrances at differing levels that are designed to be warm and inviting. The entrance along Broadway is framed by a large cantilever that makes the entry point beautiful, obvious, and approachable, removing some of the stigma of seeking care through thoughtful design. The exterior cladding of Compass Health uses adobe-like colors to further the idea that the facility is a place of warmth and comfort. The street frontage is activated by a glass promenade, and because of the “H” shape, there are two courtyards that provide patients visual connection and access to the outdoors. The architectural form of the building also allows for deep-cut planters, bringing biophilic elements into the structure for the benefit of all its users. Compass Health is on track to be certified as LEED Silver, showing that it’s not just access to views of nature that link Compass Health to biophilia and sustainability, but also how the building functions and all the design elements within it.