ITAD Research

I.
Problem/ Abstract
The condition of prison in the Philippines has long been a problem in the country.
In the news, often it is that prisoners are shown to be sleeping in cramped, dirty and
overcrowded rooms. With the military and police force today becoming more aggressive and the
current of war on drugs in the Philippines, prisoners continue to increase without the prison
facilities ever expanding.
Prison design is an important field in architecture that has long been undervalued
when architecture should have been uplifting the lives of people who should be uplifted the
most.
Prison buildings are not places for confinement and punishment. Rather, they
should be places for rehabilitation and change for people who most need it.
The environment impacts the well-being of a person. The quality of spaces in a

prison does not simply elevate the aesthetic value of a place, it also is a way for rehabilitation
and even a place where people can be educated.
Prisons modeled after health care and educational institutions. Like these design
typologies, prisons should be a place for healing and of learning. It should be made in such a
way that prisoners, once they are back to the outside world, will function as a rehabilitated and
functioning member of society.
PRISON MODELS
The Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by the English

philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design
is to allow all (pan-) inmates of an institution to be observed (-opticon) by a single watchman without
the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically
impossible for the single watchman to observe all cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot
know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at
all times, effectively controlling their own behaviour constantly. The name is also a reference to
Panoptes from Greek mythology; he was a giant with a hundred eyes and thus was known to be a
very effective watchman.
The design consists of a circular structure with an "inspection house" at its centre, from which the
manager or staff of the institution are able to watch the inmates, who are stationed around the
perimeter. Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to hospitals, schools,
sanatoriums, and asylums, but he devoted most of his efforts to developing a design for a
Panopticon prison. It is his prison that is now most widely meant by the term "panopticon".
Bentham described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a
[1]
quantity hitherto without example." Elsewhere, in a letter, he described the Panopticon prison as "a
[2]
mill for grinding rogues honest".
II. Spaces required in a prison
*Security Features
Parking - for two full staff shifts and jail visitors
Watch Towers
Police Desk/ Lounge
Admission Facility
Lobby (checkpoint)
Prison Cell
Isolation Cell
Visiting Area
Kitchen and Dining
Exercise and Recreational Areas (Basketball court and open spaces)
Vegetable Garden
Classrooms and Library
Prison Factory or Workshop
Place of Worship
Healthcare Facility
Primary Care
Mental Health Services
Dental Care
Substance Abuse Treatment
III. Site Evaluation

a. Location
Site is best located in a government, light industrial, or commercial area. It
should have
b. Site Size
Site should be large enough to accommodate a facility with at-grade
recreation yards, at-grade parking, buffer zone around the facility, and space for future
expansion.
c. Capability to Satisfy Correctional Design Criteria
Site permits sight and sound separation from neighboring land uses.
d. Accessibility to Criminal Courts
Site should be less than 10-minute drive to city courts i.e. City Hall.
e. Accessibility to Arteries
Site should have accessibility to route,
f. Accessibility to Medical Facilities
Site should be less than 10-minute drive to a nearest hospital.
g. Capability for Future Expansion and Flexible Building Configurations
Site allows for facility expansion to meet future demands and flexible
building configurations resulting in lower construction and operational costs.
IV. Site Analysis

a. Location & area of site
b. User Analysis (Behavior Patterns, Daily Schedules and Activities, User Profiles)
c. Sun and wind path
d. Vegetation
e. Adjacent Buildings
The site must be close to proximity to the courthouse which is situated in the City
Hall for ease of transport of prisoners between the jail facility and the court.
Map showing the distance between Quezon City Jail and Quezon City Hall
f. Accessibility (road connections)
g. Water features/ flooding
h. Aesthetic/ facade
Since the site is located amidst a modern neighborhood, a disguise of an
ordinary building facade such as an office, school, or library is desirable rather than a typical
perimeter fence topped with electric barb wires.
V. Green Building Innovations and Technologies

VI. Tropical/ green design Checklist (found in itad site guidelines)

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I.

The environment impacts the well-being of a person. The quality of spaces in a

The Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by the English

III. Site Evaluation

IV. Site Analysis

V. Green Building Innovations and Technologies

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