The recurring prison cell extrusions connect the inmates to the surrounding landscape while isolating them from one another
Hólmsheiði Prison clings to the flat, scrubby landscape on the outskirts of Reykjavik, a low cruciform building with a slight circular eminence at its crossing. This is the guard centre, and the 56 cells are arranged around courtyards on each of the building’s arms. The cells themselves are reminiscent of budget hotel rooms, albeit more pleasantly furnished, and each one has a relatively large window extruded from the building envelope. This allows a view out while preventing the possibility of communicating with other inmates. While the interiors are brightly coloured and furnished with light wood, the predominant materials on the exterior are fair-faced concrete and riveted Corten steel, which give the building a robust and appropriately forbidding appearance.
This case study is part of Typology: Prison. Read the full article here
