Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Phase 1A

The first phase of a larger redevelopment, “Alternate Milieu” provides transitional residential and outpatient care for 72 clients in the Addiction and Mood & Anxiety programs.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s goal of transforming its institutional setting into an integrated “Urban Village” is supported through the design of the three distinct apartment-like buildings each accommodating 24 clients along a tree-lined city street. A separate flexible, generic office-type building houses the Addiction Outpatient programs.

The key to the success of this new facility is the creation of a home-like environment that is filled with ample natural light and view to the outdoors. An intimate social milieu is created by the grouping of six clients on each of the four floors, each client with a private bedroom and WC, sharing the use of living/dining and kitchen. For each building, all clients have easy physical and visual access to a large landscaped courtyard garden which provides therapeutic use as well as opportunities for informal social gathering and interaction between clients and staff members.

The concept of the “House and Garden in the City” reinforces the client vision of a normalizing, healing environment that fosters and supports clients’ recovery and return to the community.

Joint venture with Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna, Blumberg and Kearns Mancini Architects.