Construction on the first publicly-funded residential eating disorder centre in NSW is set to be finished mid-next year, the minster has confirmed.
The centre, announced last year, will house 12 people at a time for tailored care.
State parliamentarian Rose Jackson - minister for mental health and youth - said the trauma-informed design will "break open" existing treatment moulds in NSW.
"This is about asking [survivors] how we make a space that's going to deliver a recovery journey," she said on Friday. "That is what needs to inform the decisions that we are making."
Design work has been completed in consultation with eating disorder survivors. It includes open, outdoor spaces, rooms with good visibility and furniture with soft curves.
"If we put together something that looks, smells, feels like a hospital, forget it. That's not going to work," Ms Jackson said.
The previous health minister Bronnie Taylor hoped the facility would fill a gap for specialised eating disorder treatment. NSW residents have previously accessed this kind of high level care at a Butterfly Foundation-owned centre in Queensland.
Ms Jackson said while the centre was crucial, lower-level care should not be discounted.
"You need to work with people to explore that. A residential facility is not going to be best for everyone," she said. "It is a cliche, but everyone is different."
The centre is expected to be in high demand and places will be offered after consultation with medical pracititioners. It is open to anyone aged 16 or older but the team expects many clients to be under 24.
"There is a service currently in Hunter New England where young people from our facilities can be engaged in school learning. We have met with them and they can extend their work into this [facility]," project manager Rachel Mcgloin, of Hunter New England Health District, said.
Construction on the second stage of the building is set to commence soon.
