36
Vision Magazine
How about for the rest of the prison?
What level of technical support did Viridian provide?
Transparency translates to every building. As you
move about through say, a family visits building,
this opens onto the landscape using glazed bifold doors. When it’s hot and sticky the doors can
be shut, but still with excellent visibility to the
Boab trees, football oval and bushland beyond.
The bedrooms in each of the accommodation
units have glazing that allows prisoners to look
through the building into the landscape or in the
minimum-security areas through their screened
sleep-out. The glazing allows them to see through
these rooms into the landscape and each room
has a good outlook rather than closed in with the
classic little cell window. There is a real sense of
openness into the landscape and it’s important to
create buildings that feel good to be in whether
it’s a prison, school or house.
We consulted closely throughout and sought
advice from Viridian and also the systems suppliers
of the glass frames. Because of the unusually
demanding conditions it was important to know
that we could achieve the qualities of openness
and transparency, yet meet code. In those areas
such as maximum security, ballistic glass needs
a very different frame to the standard aluminium
frame and rubber seals variety. The glass choice
wasn’t simply about toughness. It included light
transmission, transparency and so we were really
pleased to obtain suitable glass that supported
rather than compromised the design intent and so
in that regard Viridian provided an important level
of back-up and product.
What is the main role of Virdian’s
StormGuard glass?
As a cyclone prone region – two cyclones hit
during construction – the glass must meet the
impact requirements of wind codes. During
a cyclone there is a real risk of the building
envelope being penetrated by debris. Glass is
usually quite vulnerable but this glass has an
interlayer laminate that resists impact and it
means that the building can withstand the debris
that would normally require cyclone screens over
all of the windows. Once you start screening
all the windows you end up with another layer
of metal screening. That would have been
expensive, difficult to see out fro m and clean. So
this is a terrific product that really freed us from
having to continually close up and batten down.
What about product testing?
During the design development stage the
Department of Corrective Services deployed their
tactical response team to attack walls we designed
for them. This allowed the briefing and design teams
to review the structural integrity of all components.
That’s pretty interesting to watch.
What do you take from the project?
I said only the other day that if I walk outside and
get hit by a truck then I have done something that
really affects people for the better. I’ve worked in
the Kimberley since 1992 and very few projects I
have done would have touched so many Aboriginal
families for the better. It’s a privilege to have worked
on something with so many positive social outcomes.
I think the design team has learned a great deal
through the experience.