The building is open and welcoming – the facades are broken up so that the building doesn’t appear "monumental," and the roofline was designed to be no higher than our neighbors' so that the BRIDGES center doesn't loom over the neighborhood. It is meant to be a place where all can come – there are no high fences or other barriers.

Fresh air and sunlight are prevalent throughout the building. Floor-to-ceiling windows are used throughout and ultraviolet filters in the air-handling system remove bacteria and pollutants from the air in the building. Environmentally friendly, non-allergenic paint is used throughout the building.

The entire complex is designed as a learning tool. Studies show that the adolescent learns best in an environment filled with adventure and a degree of danger; thus the High Adventure Hall. This section of the building is designed with an eye toward nurturing the neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is known to be the last part of the brain to develop and affects an individual's ability to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal and social “control.”

There are 176 solar panels on the roof of the training side, capable of producing up to 32,560 watts of DC power. Converting DC to AC and accounting for the losses in heating wires, these panels can add up to about 30 kilowatts of AC power to the MLGW electric grid on a bright sunny day in mid-summer. The center is the only solar power-generating site in Memphis. In addition, the south building was designed in a deconstructed manner so youth (and adults) can see how electrical wiring, computer cabling, air and heating ducts, etc., get from one location to another.

The building is constructed of simple, sustainable materials such as concrete and recycled particle wallboard. The walls of the work stations and the carpet are made of recycled material. The south building also has relatively few 90-degree angles; the absence of 90-degree angles stimulates the adolescent brain (and drives some adult brains “crazy”!).