'We maximized the use of cost-neutral elements'light, form, color, and proportion'to make every dollar count,' says WASA/Studio A senior partner Jack Esterson about the 30,000-square-foot facility for men struggling with substance abuse. On the first two floors, which house support services such as counseling, vocational training, and medical care, a frosted-glass facade lets in daylight but preserves privacy. The top three floors of bedrooms establish a hierarchy of progression for clients'if they stick to the treatment, they move from shared rooms on lower floors to private rooms on upper floors with better views. Residents maintain a garden in the rear and create artwork for the interiors, both forms of therapy. Appeasing the three different agencies collaborating on the state-funded project was difficult, but 'we were determined to deliver a beautiful building,' says Esterson.

ARCHITECT: WASA/Studio A

BUDGET: $10.5 million

CONTEXT: VIP Community Services, a nonprofit specializing in substance-abuse treatment programs, opens a facility in the heart of the Bronx for 80 men recovering from addiction.