The Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research Center opened its doors in May, 2020 for people who need treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). The location is in Calverton, New York in the Town of Riverhead. The program and building design were developed through collaboration between the client, teams of doctors, medical experts, researchers, specialized consultants and BBS as the primary designer, architect and engineer. Wellbridge is a joint venture between Northwell Health, the Engel Burman Group and Co-founder and CEO, Andrew Drazan.
The new campus consists of eighty (80) residential rooms plus support spaces for family, staff, and administration. The programming of site and building elements was carefully considered for the provision of positive effects on patients and their families as well as those who work here day to day. Zones of the buildings, their locations, adjacencies and layouts reflect the various stages of recovery from clinical admission to the independence of program completion.
The resulting 130,000 square foot built environment has been crafted to support a safe and relaxing atmosphere for long-lasting recovery, as well as to facilitate research and education. Residential rooms are complemented by wellness and creative arts centers, meeting rooms, dining areas and a 200-seat auditorium. The combination of four main structures and site represent the highest level of intersection between medical, educational and hospitality-influenced programs and design elements.
The architectural language of “East End Shingle Style” was chosen to be representative of the local vernacular of the region. It also breaks down the scale of the facility, thereby making it more approachable and ‘familiar’; not to appear to be a medical facility at all. The project intends to be highly regarded for its recovery and research programs at regional, national and international levels, as an epicenter for the study and treatment of addition.
Project Facts
- Client: Wellbridge
- Location: Calverton, New York
- Completion: 2020
- Size: 130,000 GSF
- Services: 3d Visualizations + Renderings, ADA Design, Architectural Design, Concept Development, Construction Close-Out Services, Construction Contract Administration, Cost Estimating + Budgeting, Electrical Engineering, Fire Protection + Life Safety, IT System + Network Design, Master Planning, Mechanical Engineering, Plumbing Engineering, Pre-Construction Cost Estimating, Pre-Construction Project Scheduling, Program Development, Public Workshops, Security System Design
- Photo Credit: (c) David Lamb Photography, the Engel Burman Group (Aerial)