Southern Remand Centre
Guymer Bailey Architects, working in association with Xsquared Architects were engaged to design and deliver the new Southern Remand Centre, enabling the State Government to work towards ensuring Tasmania’s compliance with the United Nations minimum standards for sentenced and unsentenced offenders.
The new dedicated remand precinct provides 156 beds with related support services annexed off the existing Risdon Prison Complex. This project resolves complex design and functional requirements, whilst dealing with a steeply sloping site.
Creating a new benchmark in correctional infrastructure in the state, the Southern Remand Centre aims to provide a calm and safe environment for staff to work in and for remandees to be accommodated within. The design harnesses natural light provides connection to landscape, good acoustics and uses an aesthetically inviting palette of colours and materials to create a calm, rehabilitative environment, whilst maintaining strict security and safety requirements. The buildings provide an open communal living environment with ease of access to physical exercise, recreational activities, and controlled access to video conferencing technology for direct contact with family, friends and legal counsel.
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
Taking inspiration from the natural elements of Crescent Bay, the entry to the retreat has been designed to mimic the geology of the surrounding caves and cliffs. Entering through the courtyard, guests pass through a sequence of external and internal spaces that provide glimpses of the view that is finally revealed in the dining space. Prone to strong southerly winds, the ground floor southern pavilion has been designed to provide shelter to the courtyard that connects to the internal living space on the western side of the house.
METHODOLOGY
The retreat design is lightweight and can be adapted to a modular construction, which allows for off-site prefabrication to minimise environmental impact. The use of native, local gene pool plant species is planned to ensure the soft landscape is climate sensitive, contextually appropriate and beneficial to wildlife.he showrooms with the facade’s orientation to the western afternoon sun. Using a mixture of large overhangs, screening, and glazing types we successfully reduced the impact of the afternoon sun while still maximising natural light inside.
AWARDS
2023
Australian Institute of Architects
Tasmanian Architecture Awards – Public Architecture – Commendation
TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND
The Paredarerme People
COMPLETION
2022 (in association with Xsquared Architects)
LOCATION
Risdon, Tasmania
CLIENT
Department of Justice
PROJECT CONTACT
PHOTOGRAPHY
Natasha Mulhall
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.