Featuring

2024 Final year thesis - Title: Beyond Dark

A case study of Mt Eden Prison

Supervisors:

Cameron Moore

Renata Jadresin Milic

Boris Bogdanović

Beyond Dark_明 · 暗 (2024)

Mt Eden Prison

Mt Eden Prison is nationally significant and listed as a “historic place category one” by Heritage New Zealand. This means the building is recognised with the highest heritage value and status. However, the building has been uninhabited since 2011.

Project Description

This project intends to protect the heritage site, reframe the narrative of Mt Eden Prison as something that can be learned from and not forgotten. Historical events associated with the heritage site was researched and ultimately developed into narrative-based architectural interventions to reframe the difficult past.

Mt Eden Corrections Facility

The old prison is situated within a highly secured correctional facility, designated for correctional purposes without requiring additional consent. This adds a layer of complexity to the heritage site’s redevelopment.

As a result, the core focus of this project is not only to devise a strategy for reopening the prison to the public but also to promote community involvement, establishing empathy and redirecting societal problems back to the community with a shared responsibility for social ills.

Analysis Phrase

Corrections issued documents

Feasibility study

Environmental Scan

Conservation Plan

Seismic Report

Plans

BIM

Thesis Document - Beyond Dark_10_08_2024 Minor Amendment.jpg

Show More

Urban

Context

Potential access route

Proposed

Routes E and E1 are proposed, utilizing the heritage trail and public transport to enhance public engagement and social cohesion while maintaining uninterrupted operations in other part of the Corrections Facility.

Programs

The Mt Eden Community Corrections site is located opposite the Corrections Facility

New mixed-use public facility were added to the existing correction community site:

Civic Square

Community Centre

Social Justice Museum

The heritage building has transitioned from functioning as a prison to becoming an artefact—an integral and central piece of the new mixed-use public facility. Its fabric were preserved, serving as a testament to its history and the values of the past.

The old prison museum also functions as a rehabilitation park, where low-risk offenders are granted greater freedom, including the option to rent individual cell rooms from the Department. Combined with the new public facilities, it offers educational programs aimed at fostering public understanding of justice and criminology while encouraging empathy toward the diverse cultures of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

.

明暗

●

Beyond Dark

Curve ball

First started as a conservation project, but as it progresses, the thinking has evolved into understanding social justice and humanity, or more specifically, redefine my concept of humanity and what it means to be human.

Throughout the course, the project slowly became personal and directed me to understand my previous life and the inherent punitive philosophy. Through a deep analysis of my inner self and research of Māori perspective of dealing with conflict has set my fundamental position towards preserving the old punitive philosophy as an intangible heritage.

The Son and the Silence Father

The New Facility and the Old Prison

Plans

Overall site plan

First floor plan

Ground floor plan

Basement plan

Rhythm

Narrative Architecture

Rhythm

Narrative architecture plays a central role in this project, emphasizing the experiences and events that unfold within the building. The term 'narrative' is closely tied to 'metaphor,' serving as a means of reconstructing spaces through imaginative design. This approach creates environments rich in information, inviting audiences into the speculative world envisioned by the designer.

The building itself functions as a storytelling device. From a narrative perspective, the spaces aim to engage the audience, encouraging them to feel, reflect, and connect emotionally. This design approach invites personal interpretation, allowing visitors to uncover the deeper meaning behind the building's story and purpose.