TT4-Not inventing a program

I googled  rural community recovery and was not too surprised to find that there are quite a few places out there that are essentially the program I am interested in designing. The scope of ailments to recover from is wider than what I am looking at. There seem to be even more of these places dedicated to mental illnesses other than substance abuse. Some cater to both but all have in common the mission of developing individuals’ independence through caring for the land (some also have animals) and engaging in a (at least somewhat) self sustaining community.

Architecturally speaking however I have yet to find even an attempt to step away from the forms of traditional farm buildings. If anything they seem intent on recreating stereotypical settings of idealized farm configurations. This is even mentioned in one place where the normalcy of their appearance is related to their goals of acheiving normalcy for their patients. This does make a lot of sense in many ways;  I would not advocate for a brutalist concrete building or a techie glass blob to treat patients who’s difficulties with finding comfort have lead them to where they are. But clearly this will be an issue. Modern and contemporary architecture is rarely thought of or described as cozy or comforting.

I’m  also thinking that this idealized pastoral picture could very well be the most dreaded concept for a large segment of the potential patients of a rehab facility…  Does the urban cocaine-snorting, top-shelf drinking urbanite think of this as ideal or as an even worst prospect than the drain s/he is circling around? … and what about the crackhead who’s never gone beyond  MTA -serviced areas? The benefits of laboring in the land and connecting with nature do not mandate dwelling in the little house in the prairie…