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Penitentiary in Bărăgan

Zimbru, jud. Călărași, România
Author: Dragos ALECSANDRU
Tutor: Dorin Stefan Adam

Authors’ Comment

The reason behind this project is the necessity of this contry for a modern prison. Now the conditions are poor, the buildings are old and degrated, and some are just made from old millitary facilities transformed in corenctional centers. And one more important aspect is the debate we recently had in our society regarding the inhuman conditions in prisons and the cases won by some inmates at the human right court in Europe.
The court is like a public square, surrounded by the colonnade, portico. On this portico lay the other modules like institutions the church, the library, the school; it’s a small community. The inmate has to reestablish in himself the feeling of taking part into a community. Inside, the time flows differently because of the large space of the square courtyard (225 meters on a side) it makes you take your time to go from a place to another. Time is present in the routine of everyday life starting with waking up at the same hour, the morning exercises and the call, breakfast, and then the other activities (learning working etc.). The model of this prison is the citadel, which has a certain degree of autonomy. In the prison they must follow practices of freedom. Repetitive and generic structure with a grid of 3.6 m.