Looking Glass Regional Crisis Center East
Trauma-Informed Design for Youth Behavioral Health | Adaptive Reuse | Eugene, Oregon
Looking Glass Community Services is a Eugene-based nonprofit providing sub-acute residential mental health treatment for youth ages 12 to 18. Their programs combine structured therapeutic care with on-site education — covering language arts, math, health, and life skills — to support stability and continuity during treatment.
Arbor South Architecture partnered with Looking Glass to design and deliver the Looking Glass Regional Crisis Center East, a 12,000-square-foot sub-acute residential youth crisis facility in Eugene, Oregon, serving up to 21 residents. Funded by the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Youth Authority, the project addressed an urgent and growing need for behavioral health infrastructure in the Willamette Valley. Completed in 2025, this adaptive reuse project demonstrates Arbor South's experience designing specialized behavioral health facilities for Oregon nonprofits.
Location — Eugene, OR
Year Completed — 2025
Classroom
This project involved the adaptive reuse of an existing building, transformed through a full interior renovation to meet current Lane County codes and the specialized safety and operational standards required for behavioral health facilities serving youth.
All interior fixtures and most finishes were replaced to meet stringent behavioral health design requirements, with an emphasis on durability, tamper resistance, and ligature resistance. Spaces were reconfigured to support staff workflows while creating a stable, predictable environment for residents.
Guided by trauma-informed design principles, the project balances clinical safety requirements with warmth and dignity. Ligature-resistant hardware, tamper-resistant materials, and enhanced lighting systems were integrated with residential-feeling design elements — including wood-grain LVT flooring and intentional color palettes — to support emotional regulation and long-term performance. The result is a facility that meets the technical demands of a licensed behavioral health setting while feeling genuinely welcoming rather than institutional.
Conference Room
Site improvements included new accessible pathways and secure fencing, enabling safe access to outdoor therapeutic spaces — an evidence-based component of effective youth behavioral health design.
Working within a compressed timeline driven by urgent community need, Arbor South coordinated design, permitting, and construction to deliver the project efficiently. Early, direct coordination with the agencies having jurisdiction — including proactive face-to-face meetings — ensured alignment from the start and allowed the team to navigate the complex regulatory environment unique to licensed youth crisis facilities in Oregon.
Outdoor Yard
Bedroom
The Looking Glass Regional Crisis Center East reflects Arbor South's commitment to Oregon nonprofits and to the growing field of behavioral health architecture. By adapting existing buildings to serve critical community needs, Arbor South helps mission-driven organizations expand access to essential services — responsibly, efficiently, and with genuine care for the people who will use them.
Whether you're planning a new crisis center, a residential treatment facility, or a behavioral health renovation in Oregon, Arbor South brings specialized experience in trauma-informed design, adaptive reuse, and the regulatory complexity these projects demand.
“Working with Arbor South has been wonderful. These aren’t typical buildings—we’re designing facilities where safety is everything, for youth with serious trauma histories. Bill and Brian were responsive, patient, and deeply committed to understanding what we needed. They didn’t just design for us—they helped us make the space safer, more healing, and ultimately more effective.”
— Chad Westphal, CEO, Looking Glass Community Services
