HMP Glen Parva

02nd Nov 2009

Kier Custodial, Pick Everard Architects and Munro+Whitten collaborated on a bid for the new £70m Glen Parva young offender unit.

The design intent was to create an area for young offenders, where they can feel safe and calm. They will be involved in works and activities, where they will be able to learn. The concept is to create a secure college environment.

The campus was divided into a number of key spaces, which will interact between the natural landscape of the Parkland and an active urban Street.

Garden Courts, which create a visual separation between the house blocks, offering a calm and enriching environment linked to the Parkland.

Street Courts especially designed for each house block, provide a space where the young offenders can interact; through street sports, quiet seating area and supervised activities.

The Street at the core of the unit has been designed to support informal activities and link all accessible buildings together. Activities such as: basketball, rollerblading, skateboarding, running will bring the street to life. The paving treatment has been specially designed to provide a dynamic surface of colors and textures.

Court Gardens and Street Gardens provide calm and enriched, planted space to ensure that all cell bedrooms will have a pleasant outlook and are protected from sources of nuisance. These spaces provide exotic planting with a vibrant mix of bamboos, ferns, grass and climbing plants

Visitor’s needs are provided in the garden especially the Play Garden, which provides a distraction for offenders’ children or siblings. It will accommodate a vibrant space for use with attractive sensory planting, seating and features for informal play.

Whilst not successful the design team considered the proposals to be a major advance in architecture and landscapes for young offenders.