The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community intends to construct a new, ground-up addiction recovery facility for its 鈥淛ourney to Recovery鈥� program to help treat addiction throughout the community. Our design celebrates and infuses the idea of communal gathering while thoroughly integrating principles related to the cultural values and history of the Pima-Maricopa as well as sustainable strategies for harmony with the natural context. Elements of the program are divided into modular components and articulated as smaller, pavilion, or residential-like masses clustered around a primary centralized, secure courtyard in the spirit of communal gathering at the highest order. The facility and site amenities intend to provide a welcoming, 鈥渉ome-like鈥� environment where community members can receive treatment with privacy and dignity and are encouraged to remain in the treatment program. Building and site elements are designed to operate sustainably, in harmony with nature, and provide opportunities for communal gatherings and private reflection.
This project encompasses 48,000 SF of new construction in a single phase; however, it is planned with consideration for potential future development through allotment and preservation of roughly 35% of the site. In response to the hot, arid climate, building orientation is optimized in the east-west direction, massing is simplified, and openings are strategically sized and located. The building form, related shading structures, and proposed use of native landscaping create gradual transitions and micro-climates from the exterior to the interior that serve as usable space for the residents and staff. Centrally located, communal spaces are celebrated with higher building volumes that are surrounded by lower, more intimate individual spaces. The natural building materiality, both exterior as well as interior, take cues from the locality, historically, to seemingly blend with the surrounding land and mountains. Through weaving the program with the site, landscape, nature, and community, symbiotic relationships are created and cultivated to facilitate healing along one鈥檚 journey to recovery. The project includes a 48-bed, 21,000-SF residential unit; resident common areas; a commercial kitchen; intake and detox; and daycare. In addition, a 7,800-SF outpatient building is also included.
