The Alliance Healthcare Services Crisis Wellness Center redefines how communities experience and access mental health care. Conceived by brg3s architects as a purpose-built, 58,000-sf facility on Memphis’s historic Summer Avenue, the project was inspired by a vision of dignity, accessibility, and transformation. Working closely with clients, staff, and leadership, the design team moved away from institutional paradigms and instead embraced architecture as a healing tool one capable of restoring agency, safety, and connection for people in crisis.

The design process began with a fundamental question: *What does dignity look like in a space meant to hold pain, vulnerability, and transformation?* In response, the team created a building that breaks down barriers between clinical care and community. Light-filled corridors, calm yet secure environments, and welcoming public spaces replaced windowless halls and harsh institutional finishes. Key concepts included visual openness, clear circulation, and layered zones of safety, all aimed at supporting various levels of acuity without compromising the comfort of voluntary patients or staff.

Early challenges stemmed from the limitations of the facility Alliance had previously leased an environment with no control over thermal or visual comfort, little separation between high-risk and voluntary clients, and unsafe access points. The new site presented its own hurdles, including the need to establish security and identity within a disinvested, often-overlooked urban corridor.

To meet these needs, the design uses durable, trauma-informed materials: anti-ligature fixtures, “punch-proof” walls, and tamper-resistant details provide safety without sacrificing humanity. Warm, natural finishes are paired with robust acoustic treatments and direct outdoor access, creating a calming sensory environment. High-performance envelope construction and clearly defined ambulance and police entries allow for secure, discreet intake while reinforcing the center’s dual role as both a civic anchor and a clinical facility.

Spatially, the center is divided into zones of increasing privacy and clinical intensity. Public-facing areas such as a flexible community room signal openness and de-stigmatization. Behind them, layered thresholds guide clients into outpatient, inpatient, and acute care environments, each tailored for specific therapeutic needs. Staff areas are designed to be restorative and equitable, emphasizing wellness for caregivers as well.

The result is not just a building, but a cultural reset. The Crisis Wellness Center reflects a new model for behavioral health—one that acknowledges trauma, reduces stigma, and meets people where they are, with safety, beauty, and care.

Design: brg3s architects
Lead Designer: Jason Jackson
Project Manager: Amber Fournier
Landscape Architect: dt DESIGN STUDIO
Contractor: Turner Construction
Photography: Andrew Welch