Archinect - News

Architecture of correction: Rikers Island

2015-07-08T18:00:00-04:00

As long as the City of New York has owned Rikers Island, since the 1880s, it has been a place for the unwanted. For a time, pigs were raised for slaughter there. [...] was converted to a partial landfill, full of horse manure and garbage. The odor repelled its neighbors in the boroughs, and the refuse attracted a sizable rat population, which the city tried to contain by releasing wild dogs. [...] It took poison gas to kill off the rodents. Next the city moved humans to Rikers.

The NYT on prison architecture and ethics

2015-02-17T13:34:00-05:00

Faced with lawsuits and a growing mountain of damning research, New York City officials decided last month to ban solitary confinement for prison inmates 21 and younger. Just a few weeks earlier, the American Institute of Architects rejected a petition to censure members who design solitary-confinement cells and death chambers. [...] What are the ethical boundaries for architecture?

Previously:

BUREAU A’s “Parole” wins in Swiss Art Awards 2013

2013-09-10T21:04:00-04:00

Swiss firm BUREAU A recently won first prize in Architecture in the Swiss Art Awards 2013 for one of their latest projects, "Parole - Champ-dollon 1/24." Although the project looks like a simple mouse cage, it comes with a strong message about complex social issues.

"Parole" is a sculptural cage that is a reinterpretation of a part of the Champ-Dollon--a prison in Geneva, Switzerland that is known for its maximum occupancy ratios. The project highlights the debates regarding the role of architects and architecture when it comes to commissions of an ethically questionable and politically charged nature, like building a prison. Furthermore, the project emphasizes that architects should use their skills and tools to create structures that raise awareness of these debates and challenge these commissions instead of "quietly" designing them and aiming for perfection to appease the clients.

Precisely scaled to the ratio of laboratory mice at 1:24, "Parole" also addresses ongoing glob...

Editor's Picks #330

2013-08-27T13:16:00-04:00

In the latest edition of the Student Works feature, Building Soft takes on the L.A. River's infrastructure, students from SWA’s Summer Student Program presented projects such as; Topo-Infrastructure for Health, Stairway to the Hill, or Performative Punk Playground.

News
Justine Testado posted some information re: the new federal courthouse, by SOM, that will be located at the corner of First St. and Broadway in Downtown LA. In an interview with the LA Times architect Craig Hartman explained "The goal for us is to not make that security visually obtrusive, so you have a sense of openness and a generosity of public spirit".

sameolddoctor quipped "This is great, we are back to the late 70s" while first-time commentator Lesley Castle chimed in "Not a fan from the looks of this. Could be better".

KCRW’s Frances Anderton spoke with Raphael Sperry, Beverly Prior and Joe Day to answer Should Architects Design for Solitary Confinement? Archinector Christine Pierron took a principled ...

Should Architects Design for Solitary Confinement?

2013-08-20T20:22:00-04:00

A hunger strike in California state prisons calls for an end to indefinite solitary confinement in Security Housing Units, known as SHUs. Raphael Sperry has challenged fellow architects to ban the design of SHUs. Beverly Prior responds, reflecting on a career designing for incarceration. Joe Day sees societal values mirrored in the growth of both American prisons and museums.

Previously: Building A Better Prison