In September 2024, BestSelf Behavioral Health officially opened the $22 million Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at BestSelf, and BestSelf administrative offices, located at 899 Main St, in the heart of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The BestSelf Board identified the urgent need to expand services for children and families impacted by sexual abuse, violence, and trauma. This new, state-of-the-art facility marks a major advancement in addressing the rising number of reported cases in Erie County, which continues to rank among the highest child abuse rates in New York State.
The CAC consolidates services previously spread across multiple locations, bringing together a multidisciplinary team under one roof. The team includes law enforcement, victim advocates, forensic interviewers, medical examiners, prosecutors, and mental health providers working collaboratively to provide safety, support, and healing.
Given current design code limitations for additions and alterations to existing structures, this project stands out. The project began with a feasibility study to consider the potential of adding a third floor to an existing steel frame building constructed in 1993. Designed pre-seismic, the building’s existing gravity and lateral load resisting systems were investigated for a 30% increase in gravity and wind loads along with a full seismic upgrade.
Already supported by deep foundations bearing on bedrock, the foundations had residual capacity. The existing superstructure consisted of moment frames at every column line in both orthogonal axes. The analysis uncovered overstresses in the existing columns due to biaxial bending. By severing the moment connections in one axis the column overstresses were resolved leaving residual capacity for new axial loads. With isolated column reinforcing and retrofit steel bracing this residual capacity was used to carry the new floor loads.
The exterior perimeter wall was laterally braced out of plane so the entire bar joist roof could be removed. A new third floor was installed approximately 16-inches higher with a new bar joist roof 14-ft above that.
Miscellaneous framing revisions and tenant amenities including patios at the basement and third floor levels completed the renovations.
The BestSelf project has been lauded as the Building Redevelopment of the Year by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Buffalo (BOMA), and as the CoStar Community Impact Awards’ Buffalo Redevelopment of the Year in recognition of its transformational impact on BestSelf and Western New York.
