ChildSafe’s Harvey E. Najim Children & Family Center, San Antonio, is a nature-focused campus, designed by architectural and urban design firm Overland Partners, San Antonio. It’s a beacon of hope and healing for children who have experienced trauma including physical and sexual abuse, neglect and those who have witnessed a violent crime. This spacious, modern campus serves as a sanctuary for children, their families and the professionals who care for and protect them.
ChildSafe’s previous 13,000-square-foot facility could no longer meet the growing needs of Bexar County children and families, and the need for a larger, centrally located facility became urgent. The new $26.5 million building was the culmination of nearly five years of planning and collaboration with architects from Overland, principals from Guido Construction, executives and board members of ChildSafe, and community leaders.
Calling upon biophilic principles, ChildSafe’s design was based on the premise of a children’s nature center where natural daylight, connections to the outdoors and activities in nature start children on a path to healing and rebuilding their lives. The extraordinary 65,000 square foot building is situated on 15 acres where trauma-informed care and healing are central to its mission. The U-shaped two-story facility is nestled into a beautifully landscaped property providing 43,000 square feet of manicured green spaces where children and families can walk and play in a healing environment.
ChildSafe is reportedly the first urban Children’s Advocacy Center to house a 24-hour crisis intervention center for minor sex trafficking victims, one of the few national Children’s Advocacy Center using trauma-based Adventure Therapy, and one of the few urban center using its natural surroundings as a restorative feature to reduce the impacts of first-degree trauma suffered by children, as well as second-degree trauma experienced by frontline staff members.
Coupled with Nature
For this child-friendly campus, “Immeasurable care went into designing a campus that could nurture the spirit as much as meet the program,” says James Lancaster, principal at Overland Partners. “Through intentional design choices, we invited nature to be part of the healing process — bringing light, views, and calm into every space. Our hope was to create an environment that offers peace during one of the most difficult moments in a child’s life, and to support the staff who carry the weight of that care every day.”
It has nooks and crannies for play areas and expanded family waiting areas with large windows looking out to 43,000-square feet of therapeutic green spaces, rooftop gardens, courtyards, outdoor therapies, activity areas for clients, and respite areas for staff members who constantly provide these essential services under extraordinary conditions.
The building employs many sustainable strategies, including solar panels, rainwater harvesting, recycled water for landscaping and advanced heating and cooling technologies to minimize operation and maintenance costs, while being responsible stewards of the land. Interiors are infused with daylight to harness the healing powers of nature.
“From the very beginning, we imagined a place that could restore the human spirit,” Lancaster says. “Every path, courtyard, and window was shaped to connect people with nature — not just as a backdrop, but as a partner in healing. Safety was foundational, but our deeper goal was to create a sense of peace for anyone who walks through the doors — whether they’re seeking care or providing it.”
Exterior Courtyards
The facility’s design is organized by a series of exterior courtyards. Each space creates a transition between the building and its entrances, with the main courtyard located in the back so that all building occupants can enjoy the gardens and park beyond.
The building is composed of four stone volumes, with the building entrances nestled between each. A sculptural roof shapes these openings, channels water to the terraces for collection to irrigate the landscape, and, most importantly, provides the inspiration for the building’s comfort, refuge, hope and healing. Child-scale views to the outdoors, a sheltering roofline, and a healing garden prioritize the experience of the child. The biophilic principles of prospect and refuge empower children in their environment, providing a sense of safety while encouraging exploration.
One of the main design challenges was that while some areas needed to be strictly separated, others needed to be closely connected. Multiple entrances and walkways were crucial for preliminary meetings involving all the parties so that victims didn’t turn a corner and come face to face with their abusers. A basic U-shaped structure offered the best solution, given the parameters of the site.
Wing-Like Forms
The walls and roof are designed as gentle, wing-like forms enveloping the building to symbolize protective coverage and security for children and families. The building’s dark metal roof is full of startling angles and seams in various pitches that culminate in soaring wing-like structures, adding a sense of wonder, almost playfulness, to a facility that has the most serious of missions: the care of abused children.
“To us, it was never just a roof — it was a gesture,” Lancaster explains “A sculpted form reaching outward and upward, offering protection, signaling hope, and inviting every child who walks beneath it to believe that healing is not only possible — it’s already beginning. Beyond performance, the roof was designed as an icon of healing. The building’s angular, soaring lines evoke protective wings, while the overhangs and courtyards create moments of refuge and prospect throughout the campus. The roofline captures and channels rainwater for reuse and was angled to maximize solar energy collection.
To build the roof, Turner Roofing Co. installed 40,760 square feet of Berridge Manufacturing Co.’s 22-gauge steel Cee-Lock panels with a Charcoal Grey Kynar 500 finish. With a one-and-half-inch high profile, this option combines aesthetic appeal with functional design. The integral snap-lock seam ensures a secure and weather-resistant connection, and an optional extruded vinyl weatherseal adds an extra layer of protection.
Available in durable 24- and 22-gauge steel, as well as 0.032 aluminum, Cee-Lock panels provide options for metal panel siding or roofing to have a smooth finish or optional striations, catering to various design preferences. Its standard 16-and-one-half-inch coverage is complemented by an optional 11-and-one-half-inch coverage, adding versatility to its application. Panels were installed in continuous lengths across the roof and down the walls and soffits up to 40 feet, unifying the architecture in one seamless move.
“We shaped the roof to do more than shelter — we wanted it to speak,” Lancaster says. “Its wings rise with intention, offering a quiet promise of safety and a place where hope can take root. For every child who looks up, it says: You are protected, you are seen, and there is light ahead. The physical model process—folding paper, testing light and shadow—played a key role in shaping the final roof design.”
A Continuous Surface that Wraps Down
One of the most technically and aesthetically challenging aspects of the project was getting the entire team aligned around the idea of using a standing seam metal roof system not only for the roof, but as a continuous surface that wraps down to become wall cladding and soffits. This called for extensive collaboration between Overland, Turner Roofing, and Guido Construction to detail and build these transitions successfully. The team’s close coordination was key to executing this complex assembly with precision. It wasn’t just about geometry — it was about trust. We were asking the team to step beyond the familiar, to build something bold and unconventional. And together, through shared vision and persistence, we made the improbable possible.
James Lancaster, principal at Overland Partners, San Antonio
TEAM
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Guido Construction Co., San Antonio, www.guidoconstruction.com
ARCHITECT: Overland Partners Inc., San Antonio, www.overlandpartners.com
INSTALLER: Turner Roofing Co., San Antonio, (210) 496-2256
MATERIALS
METAL ROOF PANELS: 22-gauge steel Cee-Lock panels, Berridge Manufacturing Co., San Antonio, www.berridge.com
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