Precision That Heals: Self-Perform Was Key to Butler Hospital’s Behavioral Health Unit

Across the country, the demand for behavioral health services is continuing to rise—and Rhode Island is no exception. With emergency departments under pressure and more than 16,000 adolescents in the state experiencing major depressive episodes each year, Butler Hospital and Care New England needed to expand care quickly, safely, and compassionately.

Their solution: a 25-bed short-stay behavioral health unit designed not just for treatment, but for healing. To bring it to life, DPR’s self-perform work (SPW) team delivered the precision, craftsmanship, and problem-solving needed to meet the unique challenges of behavioral health construction.

Behavioral health construction requires a different mindset—one that prioritizes patient safety and dignity at every turn. For Butler Hospital, that meant custom carpentry solutions like tamper-resistant fixtures, pressure-sensitive doorknobs and rounded corners to reduce risk.

That philosophy guided the SPW team’s approach to complex challenges. With almost no straight lines in sight, the wall construction was anything but standard. The team tackled a layout full of curves and complex geometry. Safety standards required every wall be built with a double layer—plywood for strength, drywall for finish—ensuring durability in a setting where patient protection is critical. But the tight radiuses meant standard materials wouldn’t bend, so the team backcut plywood to shape each curve by hand. Their craftsmanship created a seamless, secure environment—proof that expert carpentry can make even the toughest designs work.

Another example was the installation of sliding doors designed to prevent barricading. These doors had to maintain a tolerance of just 1/16th of an inch between the door and wall—an exacting requirement that the team’s skilled carpenters met through their design of full-height door jams.

Even the lighting was a challenge: large round fixtures had to be installed in square-framed soffits. But the SPW team’s ingenuity turned complex design into practical, buildable solutions.

Our craft engaged in a design-assist approach, working side-by-side with architects, clinicians and hospital staff. This early collaboration led to practical, real-time design adjustments—such as swapping cracked anti-shatter glass after testing—and informed smarter product choices that were not only safe and durable, but also easy to maintain in a 24/7 care environment guided by hospital maintenance teams.

“Early involvement built trust and kept the design practical,” said Matt Correira, DPR project manager. “It allowed us to manage costs and constructability proactively, so the design met both clinical and construction needs.”

By bringing DPR into the project early, Butler Hospital benefited from a design-assist approach that saved time and money—like choosing alternative ligature-resistant windows that cut $40,000 from the budget without compromising safety or design.

Even inside an active hospital, SPW crews worked hand-in-hand with staff to minimize disruptions. “Sandwiched between the emergency psychiatric intake and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment areas below, and long-term care above, we developed and detailed sequence and impact maps to manage noise and vibration impacts—so patients could be moved before it ever became a problem,” said Brittany Reardon, superintendent.

The new unit isn’t just safe—it’s adaptable. A pod system with lockable, movable partitions, the space can flex to serve both teens and adults or respond to infectious outbreaks. The SPW team worked directly with the partition vendor to ensure the system of foldable, lockable walls met patient care priorities and construction feasibility.

Completed ahead of schedule and on budget Butler Hospital’s new behavioral health unity is ready to serve Rhode Island. The impact didn’t stop there—Care New England has already tapped the same team for a new ambulatory building and emergency department renovation projects at Kent Hospital. "We weren’t just solving construction challenges—we were anticipating care needs,” said Correira. “Being involved early meant we could shape solutions that worked for both the people building the space and the people healing in it. That’s where the real impact happens.”