Modesto Community Mental Health Center: Incomplete Pattern Language for Community Mental Health Centers

01/06/1970

Project Report

Introductory summary followed by twenty-five distinct patterns; each pattern provides the solution to a problem related to the following: Community, Mental Health Center, Public Gathering Place, Main Entrance, Inpatient, Outpatient, Day Care, Circulation, Patients Social Area, Alcoves – Windows, Day Care for Children, Therapy Rooms, Intensive Care Room.

Authors:

Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Friedner D. Wittman, Clyde Dorsett, Coryl Jones, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A.

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Content of

Project

Stanislaus County Mental Health Center 1970 to 1973

Modesto, CA, U.S.A.

Civic, Realized , Construction completed in 1973

Client:

Stanislaus County Mental Health Services - Dr. Hewitt F. Ryan, County Director of Psychiatric Services

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein

Contractor:

Beuving Construction, Oakdale, California

Project cost:

$1,500,000

Design and construction process:

1) Creation of a pattern language for the new mental health center, which defined the general spatial layout and conditions required by the psychiatric services. 2) Layout on the site: C.E.S. worked intensively on the ground with the team of users; in a period of about one week, the layout of the building on the site, according to the pattern language, was completed. 3) Final drawings: The plan laid out on the site with stakes, was then recorded on paper, and the final building drawings prepared directly from this data, with few changes. 4) Users were brought in again, while final decisions about structure and materials were made.

Project stages:

Pattern language for the project by clients and C.E.S. Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Development Design and Construction Drawings done after layout

A community mental health center for outpatients and outpatient care with seven buildings, including clinics, outpatient facilities, therapeutic departments for adults, teenagers and children, staff facilities, administrative offices, gardens, courts and walkways, with total area 24,000 square feet. The key ...

References

Scientific Research

Published Books

A Pattern Language 01/01/1977

Publication, Original Book

Authors:

Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel

Publisher:

Oxford University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.

“A Pattern Language” is the second volume of “The Center for Environmental Structure Series” on architecture published by Oxford University Press. You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to ...

Correspondence

Modesto Community Mental Health Center: Letter referring to the enclosure named "Incomplete Language of the Mental Health Centers", the work done on patterns and a notification that there is still work to be completed with an outline of that work and directions for moving forward 18/06/1970

Project, Patterns for Project

Sender:

Barbara Schreiner, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Recipient:

Clyde Dorsett, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A.

Medium:

Letter

Reports

Modesto Community Mental Health Center: Stanislaus County Mental Health Services - County Mental Health Plan 1971-1972 01/01/1971

Project, Reference Document

41-page document, with 11-page addenda; includes Program Plan: I. Goals & Philosophy; II: Treatment Plan; III. Budget; Addendum A and Addendum B.

Records

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Photographs