Chapter 02 Ideation & Exploration

Ideation & Exploration

2.1 Issue: Architecture had become the system of punishment

In our current environment, youth justice is the primary justice system that provides reformation for the underprivileged youth to fit into our community. However, justice had no longer take any public responsibilities, but creating a punishment system that eventually created stigmatisation on youth and segregated them from the local communities.

2.2 Theoretical research

There is a history of ideologies directly shaping the surveilled environments. The thesis explores architectural design based on the relationship development between architecture and surveillance, transforming the idea from isolation and segregation towards active community engagement.

The relationship between an ideology of justice and its resultant architecture is evident through a series of historical and contemporary precedents. This thesis’s work is aligned and starts with the architectural design concept, The Panoptican as the early carceral environmental design idea, and moves towards current post-carceral designs. This section presents the development of each precedent study’s ideologies and a program diagram illustrating the connections between internal programs such as inmate housing and administration and the relationships between the facility and the external city.

Legends:

Figure 2.1: Precedent study 01 – The Panoptican, 1791

Figure 2.2: Precedent study 02 – Henry Gurney Detention Center, 1949

2.2.1 Precedent Study 01:

Panoptican, 1791

- Surveillance and Control -

The design of the Panopticon in 1791 was based on an ideology of surveillance and control. The Panoptican is an architectural concept design for institutional buildings, most commonly associated with prison. Utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham develops it as a building that would serve as a system of control. The surveillance tower was centrally located, with cells organised radially around the tower. The physical barrier created isolation and a self-surveillance system, as the prisoners felt perpetually watched by the tower, but had no way of knowing whether they were being watched at a given time.

2.2.2 Precedent Study 02:

Henry Gurney Detention Centre, 1949

- Direct Supervision -

The Henry Gurney Schools were established in Malaysia under the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 to care for young offenders. It is the detention centres that incorporated the idea of Direct Supervision. These centres’ rehabilitation programmes are divided into four stages: Orientation Programme, Strengthening Self-Personality Programme, Vocational Training, and Pre-free Programme. Adopting a similar surveillance and control concept, all the programmes are organised in clusters around a common space with a central monitoring station, allowing inmates to spend more time in the common space shaped by the physical barrier around.

Legends:

Figure 2.3: Precedent study 03 – Justice Hub, 2017

Figure 2.4: Precedent study 04 – Polis Station, 2015.

2.2.3 Precedent Study 03: Justice Hub, 2017

- Urban connection and Restorative Justice -

The Justice Hub proposal reimagines the prison system as a series of smaller corrections institutions located in the neighbourhood area. Justice Hubs are facilities that are more responsive to the needs of detainees, officers, lawyers, visitors, and community members. It helps create a healthy environment and support rehabilitation for incarcerated or detained individuals while simultaneously providing neighbourhoods with new public amenities. Design new spaces for residents’ engagement to increase community connections and reduce the offenders’ fear and stigmatisation.

2.2.4 Precedent Study 04: Polis Station, 2015

- Social Interaction -

The research project by Studio Gang sought to reimagines the police station’s relationship to the city as a space for bringing people together for positive interactions and social connection. The space was shaped to offer the social dynamic between police officers and community members by offering a community-centred approach to public safety. It lays out a series of physical and programmatic steps that can be taken to adapt the existing infrastructure of police station buildings to become civic assets that support new, community-based models for public safety. The community become an intangible barrier that creates natural surveillance for their neighbourhood area.

Figure 2.5: Idea transformation base on precedent studies.

Research question: Could the urban “leftover” space become a productive youth’s social environment that proposes a new place with community engagement?

Figure 2.6: Defensible space theory - Territoriality aspect. The capacity of the physical environment to create perceived zones of territorial influence

Figure 2.7: Defensible space theory - Natural surveillance aspect. The capacity of physical design to provide surveillance opportunities for residents and their agents.

Figure 2.8: Defensible space theory - Image and milieu aspect. The capacity of design to influence the perception of an environment’s uniqueness, isolation and stigma

2.3 Urban “leftover” space

A vacant leftover spaces pose a threat to public security and often exhibit traits of neglect by the property owner (The National Vacant Properties Campaign). They can range from unused vacant lots to samll spaces between adjoining buildings and often attract trash and debris. Many of these spaces pose a threat to environmental health,housing, neighbourhood development, economic opportunities, and at times to public safety within cities (Wilkinson, 2011). The idea of leftover spaces used to be stated as ‘lost spaces’ as they seemed to have no significant positive influence towards the surrounding environment. These spaces were ill-defined, without measurable boundaries and failed to connect elements in a coherent way. The urban “leftover” space that intervenes between adjacent objects and often become problematic for the physical and social fabric of the city. There is a need to search for transformational opportunities.

2.4 Literature Review:

Defensible Space Theory, Oscar Newman (1972)

The idea is that crime and delinquency can be controlled and mitigated through environmental design. Sociospatial aspects of design may encourage further development of active citizenship in terms of just how ‘active’ residents may feel, and how much of a ‘citizen’ they might regard themselves to be. Perhaps is the way in which criminals decode the environmental cues that may be associated with differing levels of informal social control (Crawford, A., & Evans, K. 2017).

Figure 2.9: Ideation manifestation. Our living environment had influenced mainly by our intangible perception towards youth. It then shaped our tangible environment, reflecting how we live and what we choose to exist. Every youth’s voice should be treasured and included in our local society as they are part of our essential social assets. The architectural approach should be perceived as a shelter, not just protecting the disadvantaged youth but also preserve every voices and idea from them. Reimagine spatial neutrality of our urban “leftover” for effective dialogues between youth and public needs to exist to enhance the social justice of our living environment.

Figure 2.10: Reframing the impact of justice from forming the stigmatisation of youth in the local community towards the youth’s growing process.

2.5 Thesis Framework

2.5.1 Thesis Statement

Developing the local community activation at the urban “leftover” space with mutual bonding between youth and supportive adults to support the social justice of disadvantaged youth.

2.5.2 N.A.B.C Statement

Need

Reframing the social connection of the urban leftover space within the local community, in order to support the social justice of youth.

Approach

To reform the urban leftover space to become a productive youth’s social environment that proposes a new place that strengthens youth’s self realisation and sense of dignity within the society.

Benefit

Promote active youth involvement within the local community to encourage youth as part of the local society in order to form up youth’s sense of belonging.

Competition

The vacant “leftover” spaces trapped by the urban infrastructures and buildings in the urban area.