The site in Trelleborg, Skåne, is based on high-quality agricultural land in a coastal setting. The surroundings consist of flat open land with small villages and farms. To properly carry out the project, the design proposals must focus on improving inmates' and staff's mental health, and personal wellbeing, and providing areas for meaningful leisure time for the inmates. It is also necessary that the project has a strong focus on safety so that no one can hurt themselves or others while using the tools and the spaces. Accordingly, avoid loose furniture and hanging wires. Furthermore, all outdoor areas should be easy to check and control with no ’hidden’ areas, always to keep watch on the inmates and their work.
Students can choose between two project areas to carry out their proposal:
Case 1. Recreational gardens
In each building, there are two recreational gardens, serving 80 inmates each. Approximately, up to 40 inmates can use the space simultaneously, but usually, there are no more than 20 altogether at a time. The Recreational gardens are an easily accessible workspace that can be used during workdays, evenings, and weekends. They are surrounded by 2-3 story brick or concrete buildings on all sides and function like contemplative monastery courtyards. Each inmate can interact with the area differently, and they could function as kitchen gardens with herbs or spaces for barbeque and seating. There is an internal common area with a library, church, lounge seating, ceramic workshop, etc. that can be opened to the garden. The gardens have different orientations so sun/shade will vary in the different gardens.
More information on Case Study 1 can be found here below:
Case 2. Indoor and outdoor farming system
The focus of this task is to foster intense food production, promote education for inmates create new job opportunities, and finally reach food self-sufficiency in the prison. Up to 40 inmates will be involved in agricultural farming for production as their main employment in the indicated area. The farming activities should be considered intense, with an equal workload throughout the seasons in the fields or the indoor greenhouse. The total area for cultivation is about 3,000 m2 for the indoor greenhouse and 10,000 m2 in the outdoor agricultural field. The facilities should enable social and educational activities while fostering inclusion and therapeutic l aspects of horticulture. In this case, the safety requirements mostly refer to materials, tools, and furniture. In the cultivation areas, the inmates are always accompanied by staff, so the need to control the whole area from one spot is not as crucial as in Case 1; however, it is still important that the cultivation spaces are easily controlled and monitored.
More information on Case Study 2 can be found here below: