Svigals+Partners designs new 30,000 s/f Continuum headquarters

Continuum headquarters on Legion Avenue - New Haven, CT

New Haven, CT After more than three years of planning, design and construction, Svigals+Partners has completed a new 30,000 s/f headquarters building for Continuum, a non-profit mental health and addiction services provider. The facility is the result of the architecture, art and advisory firm’s partnership with Continuum and real estate development firm Centerplan. The tenant took occupancy of the building on Legion Ave. in April.

The three-story building that is now Continuum’s home replaces the provider’s previous offices in a Victorian brownstone, plus satellite offices in several other locations, bringing all of the provider’s home-base operations under a single roof. The design also includes architecturally integrated original art that evokes the care provider’s core principles of home and community. Svigals+Ptrs. collaborated directly with Continuum’s leadership and staff on the art concepts, which they have adopted for the organization’s updated branding and logo.

“Our vision is a world of prosperous, compassionate communities, and Continuum’s mission is aligned with that vision,” said Chris Bockstael, AIA, partner and lead designer for the project.

The 30,000 s/f headquarters includes a lobby, administrative offices, a first-floor conference room large enough to host program, several more conference rooms, storage, and space for staff training. There is also a cafe being developed with its own street-side entrance, which will employ some of Continuum’s clients.

 “Working with Svigals + Partners and Centerplan has been a phenomenal experience,” said Patti Walker, president of Continuum.

“Continuum provides support not only to their clients but to their families as well,” said Amanda Lamontagne, an architect with Svigals.

 Designers from Svigals+Ptrs. set out to create a facility that would provide the structure Continuum needs to continue growing its home care programs, as well as for continuing care programs for former patients.

In addition to offices, conference rooms and storage, the new building features a street-facing cafe component with a patio and its own entrance, where some of Continuum’s clients will work.

 As with all of its projects, Svigals+Ptrs. integrated original artwork into the architecture. The project team collaborated on the design of these elements with Continuum’s staff, a process that included the creation of hand-drawn sketches by Marissa Mead, an architect and artist with the firm. This motif appears in laser-cut aluminum panels on the building’s exterior—etched with varying textures to create a dynamic appearance—as well as in several locations throughout the interior. The theme has also been incorporated into Continuum’s rebranding, where it has become the organization’s new logo.

As an added touch of home, the new building’s welcoming front entrance is a two-story vaulted lobby, featuring stone veneer panels on the double-height wall behind the reception area. “The stone represents a hearth, a symbol of home,” said LaMontagne. “The effect is to create a warm, welcoming space for clients, visitors, staff—the whole community.”

Under Walker’s leadership, Continuum grew quickly by serving some of Connecticut’s most challenging individuals with an unflinching commitment to home-based care and community-based solutions. The group’s success has led to continued expansion of their staff and client rosters. Currently the group has a base of over 800 employees, including a workforce of more than 50 nurses providing care to over 2,400 individuals in their homes.