SOMERSET, PA — On April 25, 2022, CPL joined representatives from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), local government officials, and members of the Somerset County community to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new expansion for UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Twin Lakes.
Operating as an extension of UPMC Somerset Hospital, Twin Lakes has provided inpatient and outpatient therapy, residential substance abuse treatment, detoxification, and other support services to residents of Somerset, Cambria and Bedford counties for nearly three decades.
A cornfield behind the existing facility was cleared to allocate space for the expansion, which will increase patient capacity by 60%, create 26 new jobs, and help combat an increase in the number of substance abuse disorders throughout the region. Transformative renovations to the existing interior will also add private treatment and counseling spaces for individuals receiving inpatient care.
“We collaborated with our UPMC partners to design a rehabilitation center equipped to provide more than just clinical treatment,” said CPL Project Manager Len van Heest, AIA, NCARB. “In addition to comfortable living and counseling spaces, the program includes a lounge with treadmills and strength training equipment that will bolster physical and mental health and wellness for all patients.”
Funding for the work comes from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Wheeler Family Charitable Foundation.
Serving as Architect of Record, CPL worked alongside CME Engineering, LP (Civil Engineering), Gatter & Diehl, Inc. (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering) and Darr Construction, Inc. (General Contracting) to design and deliver the 18,400 sq. ft. expansion and complementary renovations.
The $16 million project is expected to be completed in early 2023.
About CPL
Founded in 1975, CPL is a 500+ person multi-disciplined architecture, engineering and planning firm offering inspiring design services and enriching communities in 21 cities across seven states. CPL specializes in the Community, Healthcare, Higher Education, K-12 Education and Transportation market sectors – providing architectural, interior design, civil engineering, buildings and structural engineering, planning, landscape architecture and 3D/virtual design services to a host of public and private clients.