Poughkeepsie, New York, has been severely affected by the opioid crisis and political decisions that have only aggravated segregation and worsened the quality of life for residents.

Poughkeepsie is home to large medical institutions and a large county jail facility which is currently being expanded at a cost of over $200 just blocks away from our site.

Seeking to provide alternative healing options to addiction recovery that do not involve prescription drug dependency and/or incarceration, we looked into different meditation techniques and the importance of nature in a person’s well-being.

Our response was to design a healing center with both in-patient and out-patient services based on the CCHBC guidelines, which include medical care but also spaces flooded with natural light and a direct connection to nature. The topography allowed us to divide the building into different portions, allowing for different monuments of interactions between the building and the preserved nature existing on the site.

Our healing center is meant to provide inpatients with means of interaction with the community in the form of arts, food, and events hosted on-site that could provide additional help with recovery.