Ravenhall Correctional Centre Recreational Area
ARCHITECTURE
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LANDSCAPE
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INTERIORS
Ravenhall Correctional Centre Recreational Area
The Recreational Area is part of the Therapeutic Hub at Ravenhall Correctional Centre and aims to provide a normalised environment that caters to the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of prisoners. The Recreational Area includes a physical activity area, multi-faith area and meeting place, the last of which caters to the cultural needs of indigenous prisoners.
The physical activity area includes a full-sized basketball court, central weights room and performance area, as well as a barber shop and a prisoner canteen. The multi-faith area caters to the needs of all faiths and provides a space for prisoners to receive dedicated pastoral care. The meeting place includes flexible indoor and outdoor areas that facilitate a connection to country and kin for indigenous prisoners. This includes an indigenous courtyard that has plants selected by representatives of the indigenous groups and a regularly used fire pit for celebrations. These spiritual places provide a place of retreat from everyday prison life and create a haven for prisoners to focus on their mind and spirit to aid in rehabilitation.
The Recreational Area cleverly utilises a courtyard for circulation space to maximise surveillance of circulation, while simultaneously increasing opportunities for daylight to enter all functional spaces. Additional features include space on the northern wall to display significant cultural artefacts and prisoner artwork, and a perforated tree canopy that has LED spectrum lighting that allows the colour of the area to be selected to suit the activity.
Stage A works included the refurbishment and extension of an existing two-storey classroom block as well as the construction of a new covered walkway through the centre of the school.
PROCESS
Delivered through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) awarded to the GEO Consortium by the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, Ravenhall will be the largest prison in Victoria and the largest single stage of a prison ever in Australia. The facility accommodates 1,300 medium security prisoners and include a 75-bed specialist forensic mental health unit (operated by Forensicare) and a 25-bed close supervision unit, allowing for the safe and efficient management of prisoners with mental health disorders.
METHODOLOGY
To embody the innovative program of the GEO Consortium, we developed a unique design for the site that has been inspired by native flora and fauna as well as indigenous stories, motifs and emblems adding a spiritual and philosophic core to the design.
AWARDS
2017
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
Australia’s best infrastructure project – Winner
TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND
The Woiworung People
COMPLETION
2017 (in association with Peter Hunt Architects)
LOCATION
Ravenhall, Victoria
CLIENT
John Holland and GEO Australia - for Department of Justice and Community Safety - Victoria
PROJECT CONTACT
PHOTOGRAPHY
Scott Burrows Photography, John Holland
AWARDS
Australia’s best infrastructure project – Winner
VALUE OUTCOMES
“GB-A were an absolute pleasure to work with. The team on site and in the office never cut corners and were committed to delivering a very high quality project.”
Jim Spainard, Golburn Enterprise
Designing for a sustainable future is a core part of our organisational philosophy. Drawing on the knowledge from our Greenstar accredited team members and specialist consultants in environmentally sustainable design, we ensure our project teams integrate creativity with scientific rigour, to create designs that are conscientious of the natural environment and local ecology. Designing for a sustainable future is a core part of our organisational philosophy.
PRINCIPLES OF PASSION
During the design process, our project team not only considers the physical context of the designs but also examines the social and cultural context. Through every design, we look for ways to inspire positive attitudes, behaviours and emotional responses in people to encourage the responsible use of resources, increase cooperation among occupants, and communicate the values of society and cultural diversity.
Designing for a sustainable future is a core part of our organisational philosophy. Drawing on the knowledge from our Greenstar accredited team members and specialist consultants in environmentally sustainable design, we ensure our project teams integrate creativity with scientific rigour, to create designs that are conscientious of the natural environment and local ecology.
We design built environments from a holistic, sustainable perspective: each project reconciles ecological and social impacts within the current economic climate. We holistically evaluate environmental, cultural and financial sustainability in every task we undertake.