ICONOGRAPHY
Prison as an Interface: Between the Public and the Punished - A New, Urban Prison Typology
Oskar David Mannov Olesen Thesis Project Autumn 2018 Urbanism & Societal Change Tutor: Deane Simpson The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture, Design and Conservation
ARCHITECTURE REFERENCES
Medieval city engulfing the square. Front and back of the public space. A Place Vendome, Paris
Instead of having to contend with the façades of the historical neighborhood, intervention in an existing structure made it possible to create unexpectedly exotic spaces. The buildings acquire volume and shape by being placed like fillers around the spaces cut out of the interior of the block. Munich Fünf Höfe by Herzog de Meuron (2003)
Canopy above, integrated with green. House in Arrรกbada by Extrastudio
Lifted from the ground and dimmed by the milky glazing. Contact with the outside world can be had by moving close to the screen, and the construction inside can always be perceived by the outside. Alstom Warehouses, higher school of fine arts, Nantes. By Franklin Azzi, 2018.
The hard steel and concrete gets perforated to create ornaments with varying degrees of transparency. From the outside, the building expresses authority and marks itself as an exceptional building. Ile de Nantes, Courthouse by Jean Nouvel.
Ther building is placed on the corner and the introvert exteroir Brick Cave by H&P Architects (2017).
The void between the facade and the interior are used as outdoor spaces playing with privacy. Brick Cave by H&P Architects (2017).
Perimeter building with open spaces that lets the view drift through. The openings in the building are inhabited by the users. Gifu Kitagata Apartment Building by SANAA Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa (2000).
Residential complexity between inside and outside (transparency) and different levels internally in the building. House by Guidotti Architetti (2018)
Separation of two worlds -in this case, a world of water (now drained) and a world of dry land. Buildings on piers lifted with wooden pillars. Seattle Tide Lands photo taken in 1917
Separation and alienation. Lifted from the ground, this triangular shape seeks attention and invites into an urban place of sharp contrast to the surrounding context at the beach of Barcelona. But the building isn’t only alien to the by-passers being drawn to the shadowed underside: through the thick slab prism shaped holes are pieced through allowing the elements of sun and rain to pass through. Forum of Cultures Barcelona by Herzog & de Meuron (2004).
This wide and open space is only divided by slender columns. What kind of different and exceptional urbanity can be made using this technique? Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop by Junya Ishigami (2010).
This stadium is framed by a forest of slender columns. This creates an open and light urban street with many sidewalks leading into the arena. The rows of seats are directly readable from the underside which demystifies the whole structure. Bordeaux Stadium by Herzog & de Meuron (2015)
Layering of exterior with metal grill as the outer skin. Windows make direct contact with the outer world by nreaking the skin. Other windows and airshafts are hidden just beneath. Elephant & Castle by Morris+Company (2018)
The architecture fades between this interiorness and the urban landscape to highlight the rationality of the circuits and the clarity of uses. Lycée International Nelson Mandela by François Leclercq et Associés (2015).
The domestic environment in the residential units should be cheaply build and Spartan in design. This gives them, in many ways, the same characteristics as social housing. In CitĂŠ Manifeste Lacaton & Vassal uses prefabrication and standardised materials to create housing with varying degrees of transparency and social coherence. CitĂŠ Manifeste, Mulhouse by Lacaton & Vassal (2005).
The housing provides a recalled quality of life to its inhabitants with its innovative performances of indoor spaces extended on the outside. The project deals with a changing aesteatic approach on its font side and back side. BorĂŠal by TETRARC Architects (2011).
The wooden construction can be described as a contemporary variation of a half-timbered farmhouse with a simple distributed standard sized wooden structure. The bare house can easily be domesticated by the inhabitants. House C by HHF Architecten (2014).
Covered urban space mediating between activations. In day the cold stone tables gets covered with food by the merchants changng the character of the space. When closed in the evening, the bare stands are left. Volice Farmer and Fish Market by Dinko PeracĂc (2015).
A housing estate on the periphery of the city combats unemployment with a productive and ecological complex consisting of community food gardens, an experimental micro-farm, a market, cooperative workshops and spaces for storing and reusing recovered materials. The infromality of the project invites the community to interact. This is partly done by using soft materials variating shapes. The project combines complex ecological functions with and informal and selfmade feel. R-Urban by Atelier d’Architecture Autogeree (2016).
The project pushes the boundry for what a park can be, by using the limited space to crete a park that works with verticality, thus making it very urban. The large “Park-Haus” is a double-walled steel-framed construction, 100 m (330 ft) in length, 35 m (115 ft) in width and 17 m (56 ft) high, reminiscent of a conservatory without glass. Instead of a traditional “skin” the structure stands more like a scaffolding, creating stairways and spaces in the peremiter. MFO Park, Zürich, by Burkhardt + Parnter (2006).
Typographic slopes around a courtyard. The urban space is convoluted but still very easy to navigate in due to the high ceiling and the large area it covers. Mercat dels Encats by B720 Arquitectos (2013).
The main idea of the hospital is the facade which create three connections: Urban connector; working as a visible diagonal connector of two important avenues and the ground floor invites pedestrian to use the building as an urban bridge. Connecting the existing; solving the problem of the hospital with a fragmented program and punctual expansions. It wants to take aside this idea and understand the hospital as a totality. Connector of new; connecting the new building to the existing hospital by bridges and ramps. Hospital Fundaciรณn Santa Fe by El Equipo Mazzanti (2012).
The entire building is covered by a seamless steel mesh, providing cover from the harsh desert sun, and transforming the buildings into enigmatic, ‘veiled’ objects, protruding from the dense Bahraini urban maze. When the building is in use, the veil is lifted to allow passers-by a glimpse of the performances inside. Office 126 by Karsten Geers David Van Severen (2018).
The Center for the Arts was conceived as a single container to house two buildings of diverse nature: the new Dance Conservatory of the provincial Council of A Coruña and a Provincial Museum of ambiguous content. The shape stands as a protagonist of the museum space and defines the relations between the visitor and the place: IN means that you’re into the Conservatory; ON means you’re at the Museum, IN/ON. The project uses the language of void and mass to segregate the two programs. La Coruña Center For The Arts by acabeXalonos studio (2012).
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
The round shape of chiars is emblematic to Restorative Justice conferences. According to DJDS, the most important design factors of a succesfull Restorative Justice session lies in creating a positive and peacfull environment/atmosphere. This includes regulation of acustics, access to daylight, a clear view and fresh air. The interoir should be simple and with lots of biophilia (plants and pictures of nature). Also, the access to the room should be thought of, with a simple connection to open spaces, and an appropriate level of privacy in the room itself. (from http://designingjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Creating_Restorative_Spaces_Booklet_PDF.pdf) The Clayton County Juvenile Court by KSGW Architects (2004)
The Courthouse is a campus addition that neighbours Clayton County’s criminal courthouse. A transparent space filled with warm sunlight and crisp garden views that reduce stress. Designed to resemble a corporate office building, the floor-to-ceiling windows and sharp metal accents favour the innovative and successful look of a major business. An open staircase sits caddy corner to a receptionist’s desk, and the ground floor is riddled with benches and meeting rooms that nurture interaction between staff, case workers, children, and their volunteers. The Clayton County Juvenile Court by KSGW Architects (2004)
The Restorative Justice Center explores alternative forms that mirror and replicate the way participants in restorative or peacemaking processes organize themselves: a non-hierarchical circle. It also takes advantage of the opportunities to access the natural world to modulate fight and flight responses to conflict by reducing stress at the emotional and physiological level. In the imagined iconic prototype alternative forms stand against the backdrop of the traditional courthouse. It is sited on a water body to take advantage of the necessity for restorative justice spaces to have direct and integrated access to nature. Its porosity and openness provides access to nature. Spaces for inner reflection, gardens, kitchens for breaking bread, multiple entrances, and nested peacemaking spaces support the peacebuilding process with spaces for the three primary parties in restorative processes: (1) those who have committed harm, (2) those who have been harmed, and (3) the larger community. (http://designingjustice.org/restorative-justice-center/) Restorative Justice Center, Oakland by DJDS (2013).
CONTEMPORARY PRISONS
(Picture top right): The original interior of the cell from 1971, inspired by the outfitting on ships -single bed with glued wall to wall carpet, and in-build hardwood furniture. The wall to floor window strip would allow daylight to be funnelled in. Due to changes in sentiments towards criminals, the furniture was later changed to colder materials and the fitted to ave double beds. The windows would later be equipped with bars and the glass would be frosted. Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago by Weese and Associates (1971)
Inside one of the twin rooms, which are not called cells. Prisoners will have access to laptops and phones HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
Library HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago by Weese and Associates (1971)
Eating area at cell wings and the prisons kitchen HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago by Weese and Associates (1971)
Multi games area HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
“Although it may seem paradoxical, in proposing the prison as paradigm, we take a stand for a kind of architecture that, based on concretion and determination, offers itself as a space to be appropriated and which endeavors to open up new degrees of freedom.” (Paez, Roger et. el. (2006) Critical Prison Design. Book, Actar Publishers.) Mas d’Enrique Penitentiary by AiB arquitectes and Estudi PSP Arquitectura. Catalonia, Spain.
“Like it or not, the prison building becomes the de facto world for the inmates, the setting for their lives and their compulsory and necessary frame of reference.” (Paez, Roger et. el. (2006) Critical Prison Design. Book, Actar Publishers.) Mas d’Enrique Penitentiary by AiB arquitectes and Estudi PSP Arquitectura. Catalonia, Spain.
Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
The family visiting area in HMP Berwyn, Britain’s newest and biggest prison. HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Family facilities where the inmates can stay with their families during visits. Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago by Weese and Associates (1971)
A security door for deliveries. HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
The reception area of Justizzentrum Leoben is actually not a prison but a courthouse. The spaces of confinement is a backdrop. Justizzentrum Leoben by Hohensinn Arkitectur (2004)
“For a form so limiting and punishing for those trapped within, it provides outsiders an object for contemplation and question, provoking one to consider what life is like inside for those on the inside� (May, Kyle et. el. (2014) Prisons. Book, CLOG.) Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago by Weese and Associates
Exterior seen from the street. HMP Berwyn by TP Bennet (2018)
As a strip of concrete the prison offers maximum anonymity when seen from the main road. The carceral function can, however, easily be read in the start-like layout from above. Storstrøm Fængsel by C. F. Møller Architects (2018)
PRISON FICTIONS
Vertical Prison. eVolo Skyscraper Competition first prize by Chow Khoon Toong, Ong Tien Yee, Beh Ssi Cze, Malaysia (2010).
Vertical Prison. eVolo Skyscraper Competition first prize by Chow Khoon Toong, Ong Tien Yee, Beh Ssi Cze, Malaysia (2010).
Vertical Prison. eVolo Skyscraper Competition honorable mention by Khem Aikwanich, Nigel Westbrook, Thailand and Australia (2013).
“By creating community clusters, one fosters a domestic scale of living, creating a place where human relationships based on sisterhood may potentially form, and where dignity is lent to the individual.” (https://portfolio.cept.ac.in/re-thinking-architecture-of-prisons/#prettyPhot1[rel-1116773273]/4/) “Humanizing Prison Architecture.” Thesis project by Niharika Sanya from CEPT (2016).
“The aim of this design thesis is to explore the potential of the built environment in creating humanizing spaces that can catalyse positive life processes, by analysing the ‘hard architecture’ of the prison model.” (https://portfolio.cept.ac.in/re-thinking-architecture-of-prisons/#prettyPhot1[rel-1116773273]/4/) “Humanizing Prison Architecture.” Thesis project by Niharika Sanya from CEPT (2016).
“The thesis looks to address the outflow of prisoners and combat the challenges of recidivism. This is done through the implementation of a new typology of prison facility that symbiotically merges the program of incarceration and education. The prison would be a prison for non-violent drug offenders. The school would be a school of criminology and criminal justice, and it will have a variety of traditional and non-traditional learning environments in which the inmate-student interaction is facilitated and encouraged. The inmates will gain new practical skills and intellectual capacities that will facilitate their transition back into society. In addition, the mental and cognitive stimulation will allow former prisoners to gain a sense of confidence and dignity that may have been suppressed during incarceration.” (http://glensantayana.com/PriSchool-A-Prison-School-Hybrid) “PriSchool: A Prison + School Hybrid.” Thesis project by Glen J. Santyana from Havard GSD (2018).
“The strongest argument to preserve the Koepel is the quality of its interior (remnant of the “luxury” criticised in 1882): At first it breaks, then embraces, and then comforts. Extravagant, useless, theoretical, exaggerated, monumental: a waste, but also a space that gives pleasure and that, through its essential excess, enables the decentralised surveillance culture that is now its intangible asset.” (Koolhaas, Rem et. el. (1995) S, M, L, XL,. Book, The Monacelli Press) “Renovation of a Panopticon Prison” Arnhem, Netherlands. Office for Metropolitan Architecture (1979-81).
“If prison architecture today no longer pretend to embody an “ideal”, it could regain credeblity by introducing the theme of revision as raison d’être.” (Koolhaas, Rem et. el. (1995) S, M, L, XL,. Book, The Monacelli Press) “Renovation of a Panopticon Prison” Arnhem, Netherlands. Office for Metropolitan Architecture (1979-81).
“The most complex aspect of the project was the extend to which programmatic, metaphoric and formal intentions coincided with political issues. Within strict programmatic demands, the metaphor for a new beginning, the idea of culture as a system of continuously revised paradigms, and the crossing out of the centre bond the utilitarian to the conceptual. What was surprising, finally, was the almost eager way in which and architectural solution was finally - after two years of heated discussion - embraced by the authorities as resolving the dilemma of other disciplines. The discredited claim for architectures ability to intervene directly in the formation of culture and to resolve, through its crystallization, hopelessly contradictory demands - freedom and discipline - was seemingly vindicated.” (Koolhaas, Rem et. el. (1995) S, M, L, XL,. Book, The Monacelli Press) “Renovation of a Panopticon Prison” Arnhem, Netherlands. Office for Metropolitan Architecture (1979-81).
“Our aim is to provide a clear sense of progression through the prison, manifested both in terms of the architecture and activities. The accommodation is divided into 5 categories, ranging from high risk inmates to those recently released from prison residing within temporary ‘half-way’ accommodation. In line with the training and work programs critical to our scheme, prisoners at later stages of their sentence have the opportunity to enjoy privileges such as conjugal visits and family stays. Furthermore, they can become part of the workforce providing goods and services to the community. Prisoners would learn a trade whilst the public would enjoy goods at reduced prices with potential to generate charity funding. Other facilities would be available to prisoners throughout their term such as counselling, education, allotments and workshops.” (http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Project_Details.aspx?id=2664&dop=1&year=2010) “Beyond the Prison Bars: Rehbailitation and the Urban Prison.” Masters projects by Sphie Hamilton Gray et. el. (2010), University of
“The historic Astrodome is to be transformed into a new type of corrections facility that rehabilitates through competitive sport. [...] Its trays of seating will become prison cells, and the turf subdivided into myriads of sports venues for constant and simultaneous play. [...] The panoptic-dome re-establishes the original, inspired motivations for the “love of the game” to a class that has no liberties.” (May, Kyle et. el. (2014) Prisons. Book, CLOG.) “Panoptic-Dome” by INCA - Incorporated Architecture
“The detained terror suspects in Guantánamo Bay are tortured for information over a period of years. The torture techniques used in Guantánamo range from the more known methods, such as waterboarding and isolation, to less known but just as effective techniques, such as sensory deprivation and sensory bombardment. [...] The whole complex therefore functions as an architectural torture processing machine.” (Lambert, Leopold et. el. (2016) The Funambulist - Carceral Environments. 04, March-April 2016. Magazine, The Funambulist.) “The Ministry of Exception” by Bozar Ben Zeev (2015) Diploma student at AA School of Architecture.
“The Ministry of Exception is a provocative proposition that critiques the state of exception as a permanent governmental technique. The project proposes a building in the heart of Washington DC, which combines a ministry that operates within a state of exception, with a torture camp like Guantánamo. A scenario that would force politicians and government officials to work next to the torture they condone.” (Lambert, Leopold et. el. (2016) The Funambulist - Carceral Environments. 04, March-April 2016. Magazine, The Funambulist.) “The Ministry of Exception” by Bozar Ben Zeev (2015) Diploma student at AA School of Architecture.
“Under the title “New Ocean Platform Prison”, the competition suggested reusing derelict oceanic oil platforms as prisons. Our response was highly critical of the brief, claiming that what a contemporary prison needs is precisely an intensified relationship with both society and milieu, rather than extreme oceanic isolation. As such, we devised a nomadic prison - a pop-up penitentiary of sorts.” (Paez, Roger et. el. (2006) Critical Prison Design. Book, Actar Publishers.) “A Normadic Prison” by AiB arquitectes
“The model Agema has developed focuses on the reconditioning of prisoners by means of four phases. In the first version they are called, [...] The Fort - The Encampment - The Artillery Installation - The Neighbourhood. The Fort is modelled after the ancient design of the dungeon, and is meant to break the prisoner’s resistance; The Encampment is a camp with vegetable gardens to stimulate independence; The Artillery Installation is a type of commune in which the prisoners have to learn to operate collectively; and The Neighbourhood is essentially a reconstruction of a residential neighbourhood filled with hidden cameras, where the prisoners live a simulated life in order to verify whether they are yet fully capable of functioning within society.” (Staal, Jonas and Agema, Fleur (2011) Poltiek Kunztbezit III: Gesloten Architectuur. Book, Onomatopee) “Closed Architecture”, project by Jonas Staal based on concept by Fleur Agema.
“The concrete buidling is noutourius and it is the place where all detainees pass the first phase of their sentence. [...] The inhabitants has turned it into a peronal and private space.” (Staal, Jonas and Agema, Fleur (2011) Poltiek Kunztbezit III: Gesloten Architectuur. Book, Onomatopee) “Closed Architecture”, project by Jonas Staal based on concept by Fleur Agema.
“The design avoids a monolithic approach an offers a hierarchical spatial experience through various levels of enclosure. In the barren landscape the architecture is reminiscent of North African fortified towns, a type of urbanism that is strangely appropriate in this context..” (http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Project_Details.aspx?id=1797&dop=1&year=2005) “Jail, a correctional facility for the Northern Cape”. Masters project by Giselle Löb (2005), Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.
“The problems facing South Africa’s overcrowded prisons are increasing at such an alarming pace that exploding consequences are predicted. This facility aims to emphasize the contrast between liberty and captivity, to create a longing and knowledge for freedom and what freedom is: using architecture to influence the physiological and psychological aspects of the human mind and body.” (http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Project_Details.aspx?id=1797&dop=1&year=2005) “Jail, a correctional facility for the Northern Cape”. Masters project by Giselle Löb (2005), Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.
POP CULTURE
Reception scene from the Danish cult movie series “Olsen Banden” (The Olsen Gang).
“Somebody, help me! I’m being spontaneous!” (Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank) Scene from the movie “The Truman Show” (1998).
“The prison break is a well-established trope. You know the story: the protagonist, wrongly accused of some horrific deed, is placed behind bars with no hope of acquital.working against the clock, he must devise an exit strategy or risk letting malice ensure. What follows is a battle that puts man against architecture.” (May, Kyle et. el. (2014) Prisons. Book, CLOG.) “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
“There’s a reason why this prison is the worst hell on earth... Hope. Every man who has rotted here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy... So simple... And like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope.” (Bane in Batman Begins. http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Pit) “Batman Begins” (2005)
“Though the prison break narrative offers many variations, the trope’s villain is constant - architecture.” (May, Kyle et. el. (2014) Prisons. Book, CLOG.) “Escape From Alcatraz” (1979).
Original photoes of dummy heads made famous in“Escape From Alcatraz” (1979).
How they caracterise the prison in the different spaces of the prison.
TV series “The Prisoner” (1967).
“The Great Escape” (1963).
“Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” (1983)
The city of Seaside from the movie “The Truman Show” (1998).
TV series “The Prisoner” (1967).
“Prison Architect is a simulation. Prison Architect is a comedy game. Prison Architect is a tool for activists. Prison Architect is… a new visual art form?” (Gilles Roy on playthepast.org) The video game “Prison Architects” (2015) by Introversion Software.
“The Great Escape depicts a prison that favours transparency over fortification, consisting of simple wooden huts, an extensive wire fence system, and armed sentry towers. Because of the building’s material thinness and subsequent inflexibility, the prison does not lend itself to concealment or alteration, the conventional strategies of prison breakout.” (May, Kyle et. el. (2014) Prisons. Book, CLOG.) “The Great Escape” (1963).
“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
TV series “The Prisoner” (1967).
HBO TV-series “The Walking Dead� (2010-present) based on the graphic novel of same name by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore.