Supporting Recovery Through Design

In Alcohol and Other Drug Facilities (AOD) design, no decision is neutral.

Every threshold, sightline and source of daylight shapes whether a person feels vulnerable or safe and cared for. Good design here doesn’t make a statement — it creates the conditions for calm, trust and dignity.

We’ve seen this across our work in the sector. At the St Vincent de Paul AOD and residential recovery facility in Mackay, the focus is on getting the small decisions right — movement, thresholds, daylight and material — so that people feel safe and respected the moment they arrive.

That thinking extends beyond the building. At AOD Southport, for The Salvation Army (TSA), the interface between built form and open space is doing real work — giving residents places for reflection, wellness and interaction within a landscape setting. The environment itself becomes part of recovery: somewhere to step outside, breathe, and reconnect.

To bring that idea to life, we’ve created a short film of the AOD Southport project. The fly-through below walks through the facility as it’s designed to be experienced — where safety meets humanity, and where the smallest decisions carry the most weight.