The 1,536-bed Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre is complete and soon to open. As the first new prison in Queensland in over a decade, the high-security facility sets a new benchmark for rehabilitation-focused design in Queensland.
With a strong focus on rehabilitation, the design includes the deliberate progression of accommodation from cellular to residential styles to incentivise pro-social behaviour. To minimise the institutional feel of the facility and encourage family visitation, biophilic principles including the targeted use of natural light, improved acoustics, views and access to nature and natural materials have been used.
Set over 22 hectares and 40 buildings, the Centre offers a range of services including educational and vocational training, mental health support, and substance abuse treatment. These initiatives are designed to rehabilitate individuals, reduce reoffending, and enhance community safety throughout Queensland.
“Rehabilitation and reform of prisoners is really what the heart of this centre is all about,” Corrective Services Commissioner Paul Stewart told the ABC. “There’s more space in this centre than other centres for rehabilitation, education and training, and for developing skills, so prisoners, when they leave, are in the best place they can be to not reoffend.”
The Visitor spaces of the Centre were designed to minimise the confrontational and institutional feel in order to encourage ongoing visitation from family and friends. GB-A worked closely with Professor Susan Dennison from Griffith University during the early stages of the project to explore how the findings of her research into the impact of incarceration on families could be used to inform the design and minimise the barriers for families maintaining a connection to a loved one in custody.
Associate Director and Project Lead, Craig Blewitt, said, “Over the last five years our GB-A corrections team and our wider subconsultant team have worked incredibly hard to design a facility that prioritises rehabilitation and ultimately leads to safer and less crowded prisons state-wide. A big thank you to all who have worked on the project.”
GB-A was thrilled to be part of this significant project for the Queensland Corrective Services and the Department of Housing & Public Works in collaboration with John Holland, Webb Australia, Northrop, WSP, RGC, FSDA and our wider sub-consultant team.
Photography: Scott Burrows
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