The Buttery Rehabilitation Residence ::

Project Description::

Won as a result of a limited ‘design excellence’ competition, this project involves the development of a rural property in Northern NSW for the Residential Treatment of Addictions Program for Buttery Inc, a registered charity operating as a therapeutic community.

The new design incorporates five residences, each accommodating up to twelve people, a central community facility and administration building. The complex of buildings cascade down the gentle north-facing slope, using a network of paths that traverse the site and connect the buildings as a series of meeting places, allowing privacy while encouraging interaction. The paths connect the residents’ communal living and recreation areas, the staff quarters and the rural environment, unifying all in a tangible gesture which symbolises the common quest for the residents’ recovery of a normal life.

The design is environmentally sensitive, employing a narrow lineal layout of rooms to allow solar heating to the floors, passive cross-ventilation and rainwater collection via the roofs. It also caters to disabled residents and is organised so that the residents may readily participate in the management and operation of the community.