Construction crews have placed the final beam on Western State Hospital’s new mass-timber administration building in Lakewood, Washington — a major milestone on one of the most closely watched healthcare builds in the U.S.
That is according to HOK, the global architecture and engineering firm leading the design for the three-storey, 57,000-square-foot building and an adjacent 350-bed forensic psychiatric hospital, both under construction on a campus being redeveloped as a centre of excellence for behavioural healthcare.
The administration building combines regionally sourced glulam columns and beams with cross-laminated timber decking — a structural approach rarely attempted in healthcare construction, where steel and concrete have long been the default.
Working alongside structural engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers to develop concealed proprietary connections and fasteners, HOK kept the exposed timber interior free of visible hardware…with several columns made from trees felled on-site.
“The mass-timber design serves a number of goals,” said Loren Supp, HOK’s design principal in Seattle. “It highlights the natural beauty of western Washington and its evergreen forests. It reinforces the state’s commitment to environmentally friendly design, and it creates a warm and calming environment that benefits well-being.”
Wood Central understands that the building is targeting LEED Gold certification and net-zero-energy readiness. Rooftop and site-mounted photovoltaic panels will generate on-site renewable energy, while advanced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems — including thermal storage — are designed to reduce peak energy loads. Fritted-glass curtainwalls bring daylight into the building’s core and offer occupants views across the surrounding campus.
The ground floor includes training and gathering spaces open to the wider community — a conscious step away from the closed, institutional character that has defined state psychiatric facilities for generations. It comes as the broader $947 million Western State redevelopment — the largest capital project in Washington state history — pushes toward a 2028 opening. The forensic hospital is scheduled to begin receiving patients later that year.
