CHASSE Building Team finishes construction on Child Crisis Arizona Center for Child & Family Wellness

By: Alison Bailin Batz

In January 2023, Child Crisis Arizona, whose mission is to provide children and youth in Arizona a safe environment, free from abuse and neglect, by creating strong and successful families, joined with CHASSE Building Team and Architectural Resource Team (ART) as well as local dignitaries including Mesa Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia, major funders including Janis Merrill, Kathye Brown, Erik Olsson, Thunderbird Charities, and board members to break ground for its planned 38,000-square-foot, climate-friendly, net-zero campus at 424 W. Rio Salado Pkwy. in Mesa. Spanning 2.4 acres, the two-story campus will be one of the first for any nonprofit in Arizona to put sustainability at the forefront and build for future generations.

Today, the highly anticipated project is nearing completion and expects to open its doors this fall.

“Once completed, the Center for Child & Family Wellness campus will centralize Child Crisis Arizona operations and leverage synergies with partner organizations resulting in children, youth, and families receiving high-quality wraparound services in one convenient location,” said Torrie A. Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona.

According to Taj, the space will enable Child Crisis Arizona to provide myriad services and facilities, including foster care and adoption licensing services; family education; community rooms for instruction, mentorship and collaboration with partners like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, and New Pathways for Youth, expanded children’s counseling featuring sensory and play therapy rooms; a multi-purpose space to accommodate community and employee health and wellness needs; a zero-carbon centralized industrial kitchen supplying healthy meals for children in Early Education, Shelter and Group Home plus food box distribution with support from United Food Bank; a resource distribution center; courtyard and rooftop gardens; expanded foster teen programs with job skills training and financial education workshops; a car seat safety installation station; collaborative studio space in partnership with Ballet Arizona, Free Arts of Arizona, Gabriel's Angels Pet Therapy, and more; volunteer and staff training space; and centralized administration.

There are also partnerships planned within the walls with Friendly House, Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona, and Prevent Child Abuse Arizona as well as eight art-inspired spaces that connect visitors to the natural elements on display within the building

“The design and construction revolved around the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge, which aligns with Child Crisis Arizona’s vision for ‘Safe Kids, Strong Families’,” said Ben Shunk, commercial business unit leader at CHASSE Building Team, noting that the design of the building itself focuses on showcasing the foundational earth elements of earth, water and air.

The building will also be a Certified Living Petal Project Facility.

The Living Petal Project is an internationally recognized building challenge organized into seven performance areas:

·         Place: creating a positive environmental impact within the community.

·         Water: hydration stations throughout to limit single-use plastic and collecting rainwater in underwater cisterns for landscaping.

·         Energy: ample solar power with limited electricity use thanks to natural lighting and electric vehicle charging stations on-site.  

·         Health and Happiness: optimizing physical and psychological health and wellbeing with a workplace wellness room, art-inspired spaces and a metered walking path around the building.

·         Materials: Use of safe, non-toxic and recycled materials throughout including steel, wall and ceiling installation, flooring, and FSC-certified wood.  

·         Equity: Supporting a just and equitable world with programs supporting children, young adults and low-income families in the community.

·         Beauty: Celebrating design that uplifts the human spirit with use of light, living green walls, mature trees and natural elements throughout.

“Once complete, it will also meet the highest level of standards for Indoor Air Quality, making it truly one of the most ambitiously sustainable buildings in Arizona,” said Shunk.

For more information, visit www.childcrisisaz.org/beyond-the-building.