Laredo State Mental Health Care Facility

Standing among the large-scale health care facilities in Laredo's fast-developing northeastern sector, the Lake/Flato Architects' design creates a sense of place in a suburban terrain devoid of distinctive natural features. The facility captures a series of courtyards by assembling hipped-and pyramidal-roofed pavilions in an E-plan configuration. The stuccoed, pastel-colored pavilions are linked by contrasting buff brick walls with gateways recalling the enclosed compounds of Roma and Rio Grande City. Buffered from its surroundings by perimeter metal trellises overgrown with vegetation, along with an abundance of palm trees, the complex brings a refreshing touch of the subtropical Rio Grande delta to the dry chaparral of Laredo.