By By Dan Hounsell

Out with the old, in with the new. That’s the situation in Austin, Texas, where a new healthcare facility is set to rise where an aging building recently came down.

Construction on a new major hospital facility in the capital city of Texas is proceeding after an older building was demolished in December, according to Healthcare Operations+Construction. The old building, the former Austin State Hospital, had been vacant for some time.

The new 380,000-square-foot building is a collaboration between Dell Medical School at the University of Texas and the Texas Health and Human Services department. Private rooms and natural lighting are part of the design aesthetic that is meant to be calming. The healthcare facility also will feature exercise areas, arts and crafts spaces and various therapy facilities.

A basketball court, cafeteria, chapel and salon will be among the main features of the main floor.

The new facility will have more than 200 beds and will focus primarily on mental health. Construction on the redesign of the plot started in October 2019, and the new healthcare buildings are scheduled to open in June 2023.