A 1,100 lb., 27-foot long steel beam covered in Veterans’ signatures and well wishes was raised March 11 as the last piece of structural steel for the new Mental Health and Research Building at the Seattle VA campus. The “topping off” represented a significant milestone in the $152 million construction project that includes a new mental health research facility and parking garage.

More than 250 mental health staff and more than 60 mental health researchers will be housed in the new building, which is expected to improve access and decrease wait times for Veterans seeking treatment. Recent increases in patient volumes has resulted in more than 100,000 patients coming to VA Puget Sound for treatment in 2015 representing more than 1 million individual visits. The building will house clinical research and health services, mental health services, biomedical research, substance abuse treatment and recovery center, education and a rehabilitation center.

The LEED-certified building will be energy efficient and will incorporate design features such as a grass-covered rooftop and rainwater harvesting system for irrigation and interior landscaped courtyards. The interior is designed to create peaceful and quiet areas using special acoustic materials, and the introduction of natural light. Construction of the six-story, 219,000 square-foot building is scheduled for completion in late 2017.