Option 1 - Mental Health Community

The Potential

With 65 acres of land, this is the amount of wasted space we will soon have to deal with. Space like this could possible produce if not transformed into another space. So we look into options in changing this space into a new community. The options are potentially endless, however we want to consider changing this space into a space that is in need of now and has the potential to becoming a more required space.

After narrowing down the options, the plan is to transform this soon to be dead-mall into a mental health community. This decision was based on the following facts, a lack of Mental Health Communities in the area, the lack of available space in the few existing communities, and the growing knowledge of new disabilities. This reinvented space will be a living community for all needs, including: long term care, short term care, outpatient and inpatient care, emergency care, clinic, drug store, and activity rooms.

Creates Jobs

Jobs will also be created for specialists involving physiotherapy, occupational therapy, neurophysiology, etc. Other jobs available would include nurses, social workers, and custodial staff.

These facilities will be accessible to all age groups: children, teenagers, adults and seniors. The goal for this new community is to be combined building to assist in all aspects of disabilities, while maintain to LEED standards, both during the transition from mall to Mental Health Community, and also the finished product of the community.

What to Consider

When building a Mental Health community there is a lot one must consider; all rooms and services must be considered in order to successfully run and obtain such a facility. The following is a list of all services and rooms that need to be in a mental health community:

• Crisis Support
  
• Finding Services
  
• Income
  
• Housing
  
• Work
  
• Education
  
• Legal System
  
• Justice and Mental Health
  
• Self-Help and Peer Support
  
• Support for Families and Caregivers

This list is however a bare minimum and other amenity could be added on after, if there was room left over, since we do have just over 65 acres of land to transform. During the transformation of this building we will try and be as environmentally friendly as possible starting off with recycling as much as possible from the interior and exterior of the existing building, the Scarborough Town Centre.

Our Goals

We want to achieve as much space efficiency as possible by introducing the outdoors in. The plan starts by taking down a lot of the existing ceilings in the common areas and turning them into outdoor walkways. Within this area we will incorporate gardens, outdoor patios, and fountains. Not only will this space be environmentally friendly, it is also a great way to get patients and residence outside and in the fresh air. Recreational areas will also be included within the plan.


Transforming the Scarborough Town Centre into a Mental Health Community will take a lot of work, consideration, and money. However, in the long run this building has a vast potential for success. By transforming this run down building into a new LEED certified building we are helping the environment and designing a building that will be inspiring to everyone around the world.