Vision Magazine
W
estern Australia’s Kimberley region is best
known for its rugged beauty and mineral
wealth but one of the planet’s most remote
areas is also a ground-breaker with a world-first
correctional facility. Aboriginal people represent
around three per cent of Western Australia’s
population, yet comprise some 38 per cent of the
state’s adult prison population.
Two thousand kilometers north of Perth is a long
way from anywhere for most people and Aboriginal
people have typically not adjusted well to prisons
far removed from home. Rather than simply
window-dressing the problem, architecture can
be a driving force and lead the charge in bringing
about real change.
Radical in concept and detail, the facility breaks
down the typical cell-block into 43 structures
comprising 22 houses located on a 20 hectare
site ringed by a 1.6 km security fence. While the
climate is often hostile, the spirit behind the project
is not. Intensive consultation with the Aboriginal
community produced real progress in the creation of
buildings and spaces that maintain prisoners’ dignity.
Viridian StormGuardTM glass is used extensively to
further the architectural vision for transparency and
openness while protecting inmates and staff during
the cyclone season.
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