State’s first net-zero carbon emissions mental health campus breaks ground in Redwood City

Four of the new buildings will be mental health rehabilitation centers with 16 beds each for individuals needing long-term mental health care.

The fifth building is a three-story co-housing building that can accommodate 57 residents and includes office space, a commercial kitchen and single bedrooms with shared living space.

Buildings on the campus will center around an open space and courtyard with outdoor seating, community gardens and recreation courts. Corridors will be configured into a V-shape, which gives every room a view into the courtyards.

The campus will be sustainably designed — for example, there will be solar panels on each roof — with the goal of achieving silver certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which rates buildings based on sustainability metrics.

Once the new structures are built, the old building will be demolished. People living at the existing facility will stay during construction before moving into the new buildings.

The center was originally constructed in 1952 as a tuberculosis hospital, then adapted for behavioral health in 1978.

Construction is expected to be complete in December 2023.

Skanska’s portfolio includes large-scale hospitals and health-related facilities such as the Palo Alto Medical Foundation San Carlos Center.

More information on the Cordilleras Mental Health Facility is available online at cmo.smcgov.org/cordilleras-mental-health-facility.