Case
study
COMPLEX
TYPOLOGY
ARC 4012
H E M A N T I K A N AT H
18BAR0003
HALDEN PRISON, NORWAY
Halden Prison, Norway
Location: Halden Prison, Halden, Norway
Designers: HLM Arkitektur Studio & Erik Møller Arkitektur Studio
Capacity: 250 inmates
Layout pattern: Campus style layout
Security type: Maximum security
Building program
oDorm housing (10 to 12 prisoners per dorm). Each dorm has individual or shared room with private
bathroom, a common room, a kitchen and a tv room. The windows are open and look out into
landscaping and allow a lot of light into the rooms.
oGym
oGuest quarters. These guest quarters are furnished like a small house so that families who have come
for a conjugal visit can spend time like a normal family.
oAdmin block. All the external activities take place here. It is strategically placed on the outer
periphery so that activities do not disrupt the daily life of the prisoners.
oCultural centre
Building program
oWorkshops
oRecording studio
oGrocery shop: A grocery shop is there to encourage prisoners to buy ingredients for cooking food,
playing cards etc., so that they can cook for each other or the guards.
oOpen kitchen to cook together
oForested paths
oLibrary
oArt works by Norwegian graffiti artist Dolh.
KEY
EDUCATION BLOCK
GUEST QUARTERS
HOUSING FACILITY
ADMIN BLOCK
RECREATIONAL AREA/
GYM/CULTURAL CENTER
SOURCE: [Link]
com/154665/halden-prison-erik
-moller-arkitekter-the-most-humane-
prison-in-the-world/untitled-2-15?
next_project=no
KEY
LANDSCAPING
SOURCE: [Link]
com/154665/halden-prison-erik
-moller-arkitekter-the-most-humane-
prison-in-the-world/untitled-2-15?
next_project=no
Design philosophy
The architects had numerous aspects to consider while designing the prison. The main priority being the
interaction between prisoners and between prisoners and guards and the rehabilitation process. Thus they adopted
the following design philosophies:
1) Campus style layout
2) Involving nature in the design
Being imprisoned is the punishment,
3) Establish sense of place and time the architecture doesn’t have to be.
They are already serving a sentence,
4) Materials (warm) that doesn’t mean their everyday lives
have to be a sentence.
5) Façades follows function
6) Circulation
7) Security system
Design philosophy: Campus style
layout
The campus style layout allows the prisoners to
interact more freely. It also helps them interact
with the guards more casually, thus making the
prisoners feel more normal and non threatened.
The architects had also seen that campus style
prisons had reduced violence as compared to
radial, telephone pole or courtyard style prisons.
Design philosophy: Campus style
layout
Radial prisons were mostly used in colonial
prisons. It created a lack of vision for the
prisoners. The central tower acted as a
surveillance tower that took away the privacy of
the prisoners. Riots are very hard to control in
prisons that are designed in this manner.
View of the prisoners
View of the guards
Design philosophy: Campus style
layout
Telephone pole prison layouts look like
telephone poles with multiple branches coming
out of it. This creates the feeling of alienation
and restricts the view of the prisoners even more.
It is seen that fights and riots break out more in
layouts like this as they restrict the interactions
between the prisoners.
View of the prisoners
View of the guards
Design philosophy: Campus style
layout
Courtyard style layout has an open space in the
middle while the prisoners are held towards the
periphery of the courtyard. Their rooms have the
view of the interior/ inwards. The intent is to make
the inmates reflect inwards for their crimes.
It also makes it easier for the guards to keep an eye
out when the prisoners are doing their daily
activities.
View of the prisoners
View of the guards
Design philosophy: Campus style
layout
Campus style prison systems break down the prison into smaller units. The
prisoners are housed in smaller numbers. The whole system feels more like a
village with different places for different activities.
This allows prisoners to interact with nature and watch the passage of time.
There is constant interaction with the guards and the prisoners. The guards
become an active part of the activities of the prisoners.
The architecture is also within the human scale. The buildings are not
intimidating. It is a very traumatic time for the prisoners already being in the
situation that they are and the architecture of normal prisons are extremely
intimidating. This keeps the prisoners on edge rather than helping them get
better.
This style is completely different from the other three in the above aspects that
it is not intimidating, the human scale helps the prisoners to adjust quicker to
their surroundings.
Design philosophy: Involving nature
and establishing time and space
The designers involved nature in their design. It helps the inmates
reflect and watch the passage of time. Paths were designed in such a
manner that they would pass through nature and landscaping. Plants
are known to have calming and healing effect. The plants the architects
have chosen are native to Norway. They help prisoners understand the
passage of time.
Prisoners often felt like they were stuck in a diving case in regular
prisons where they wouldn’t know how long had passed or even what
season it was. They felt isolated from the rest of the world and they
felt helpless. The architects thus used landscaping to establish the
sense of time and place through involving nature in the design.
Prisoners can tell the passage of time by the passage of the seasons.
They feel hopeful and feel like they want to become better human
beings.
Design philosophy: Involving nature
and establishing time and space
The experience of walking through nature will add
to the process of rehabilitation faster for the
prisoners. This is why the architects even provided
large windows to allow the prisoners to look at
nature and the passage of time. The architects used
up a lot of area for landscaping. Plants and nature
also brings about a sense of normalcy to the
everyday lives of the prisoners. The roads that
connect the buildings go through nature. Even the
compound walls have a thick line of trees that hide it
so that they don’t feel like they are “trapped” inside.
Traditional prisons Humane Prisons
Design Philosophy:
Materials
Concrete Cork
The architects chose to use materials like
wood, cork and glass. Wood and cork absorb
sound and glass helps allow natural light and
the view of the surroundings. In conventional
prisons, they use materials like concrete,
linoleum and steel. These reflect sound, are
unpleasant to look at and they block natural
light coming from outside. They are intimating Linoleum Wood
giving the feeling of long endless corridors
that agitate the prisoners who are already on
edge.
Steel Glass
Design Philosophy:
Façades follows function
The façades of the buildings have been designed based on
the function and security level and function of the building.
Even the materials used on the façade are decided based on
the function and level of security of the building. The
materials range from untreated wood and dark bricks to
galvanized steel.
The materials reflect the seriousness of the functions that
take place within the building. For example, soft materials
like wood and glass maybe for visitation room, education
building or cultural center and materials like galvanized
steel, dark bricks etc., maybe for administrative or
investigation rooms or buildings that house hostile prisoners.
Design philosophy:
Circulation
Each of the buildings are interconnected with the other by a series of
paths and walkways and landscaping. These walkways and paths are
arranged in a form of a ring road. Walking through these paths and being
surrounded by their environment is important part of the rehabilitation
process. These paths allow the inmates to explore their environment and
getting familiar within the space that has been allotted to them to calm
them down. The paths are organic in nature which mean they meander
and swerve to make provision to plant pines and junipers.
Walking in circular pattern or a repetitive pattern through nature has
calming effects on the psychology of a person. It also allows the
prisoners to feel a sense of normalcy to use the paths to go to various
buildings to perform their duties as they have to use the paths to
commute almost like they would have to work if they were not in prison.
Design philosophy:
Security system
The architects have designed the internal spaces in such a way that the
guards are forced to interact and be a part of the inmates activities. The
guard stations are purposely made small for that very purpose.
This is a very important security system as it helps keeps the prisoners in
check at all times. Thus reinforcing the evaluation of self in the inmates,
this helps when they get out of prison as they learn to control themselves
in society.
This also forces the guards to have more frequent interactions with the
inmates. They become an active part of their rehabilitation. They behave
in a more normal way with the prisoners due to constant interactions,
thereby reinforcing normal behavior when they integrate back into society.
Art works by Norwegian graffiti artist Dolh
TIHAR ASHRAM, NEW DELHI
Tihar Ashram, New Delhi
Location: New Delhi, India
Capacity: 6250
Actual population: 13,000
Security type: General and maximum security type
It was recently renamed Tihar Ashram from Tihar jail when the objective changed to rehabilitate the
inmates by providing them with useful skills, vocational training, education, etc.
Tihar jail/ashram
Introduction: Tihar ashram is slowly becoming a
progressive jail with rehabilitation as one of its
criteria. It even has its own brand where they sell
products made by the inmates. The products vary
from foods like bread, cookies and chana chur to
products like furniture, clothing and even
paintings. The goal of Tihar jail has become to
uplift and encourage the prisoners to become
better. It has been expanding ever since it was
first commissioned in 1958, however, even with
all the expansion it is still overpopulated.
History of Tihar
1958: Commission of central jail
1980: Commission of district jail
1984 – 85: Existing jail trifurcated to central jails 1,2 and 3
1990: District jail converted to central jail 4
1996: Central jail 5 commissioned
2000: Central jail 6 commissioned
2003: Central jail 7 commissioned
2005: Central jails 8 and 9 commissioned
2008: Construction of Mandoli jail begins
Housing criteria of each central
jail
Central jail 1: Undertrial in Tis Hazari
Central jail 2: Convicts
Central jail 3: Undertrial in Tis Hazari
Central jail 4: Undertrial in Patiala house
Central jail 5: Convicts
Central jail 6: Female undertrial and convicts
Central jail 7: Adolescent (18 to 20 years)
Central jail 8: Undertrial in Kakardooma
Central jail 9: Undertrial in Kakardooma
KEY
Staff quarters
Prison/Central jail
Offices
N
Housing
1) Each of the central jails are divided into wards.
2) On an average, each ward can hold up to 50
inmates and the jails have a capacity of 400 inmates
each.
3) Each complex is broken into multiple walled
houses/wards with each of their own security system.
4) Each of the cells opens up to the open spaces in
the yards in the middle of the ward.
5) The buildings don’t exceed 1 stories height.
Security system
There is one security tower in every ward. It is located
central to the courtyard and one has to pass under the
security tower to get to the recreational area. There is
provision for one guard per watch tower. There are more
in each corner of the jail as well.
There are staff quarters and offices on the periphery of
the jail. This is done to contain the jail within the walls
of the prison as there are civilians living right outside.
The staff quarters and offices provide a buffer space
making the civilians feel safe and also a barrier in case
someone happens to try and escape.
KE
Y N
Staff quarters Prison Offices
Mandoli Jail
One of the newest addition to the Tihar jail complex is the Mandoli Jail with a capacity of 3776 prisoners. It has
further sub jails. They are
1) For convicts
2) For first time offenders
3) For long term prisoners
4) For undertrial prisoners
5) For adolescents
6) For women
7) A high security prison
Mandoli Jail
It is the first time any Indian central jail that has the following features:
1) Air circulation system
2) No electrical fixtures inside the wards
3) Inbuilt mechanism for CCTV and optic fiber cable network
4) Sewage treatment plant
5) R.O system
6) Solar heating system
7) Dual water supply system
8) Rain water harvesting system
9) Energy conscious building
10) Separation from high security and first time offenders
11) Incorporating art works
