By: Gregory Cook, AIA, CCHP
This year, the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) launched the Planning & Design Hub, an online resource for architects, administrators and professionals from around the world. The timing could not be better for such as announcement, as countries around the world embark on a shared effort to improve the safety and effectiveness of our correctional institutions to better serve our fellow citizens. The Hub was introduced at the 2018 ICPA Conference in Montreal by Stephen Carter, a founder of the Planning & Design Network, and representatives from the University of Technology Sydney, who oversee the management of the data and oversight of the content. The announcement coincided with the unveiling of ICPA’s new website and structure. The Hub is overseen by a committee consisting of the Network Chair and four current members of the Planning and Design Network. The Hub committee reports to a member of the ICPA executive committee and maintains and implements the protocols for the vetting of all projects, resources and discussion threads.
The Hub was conceived as community, where those who seek to create more humane correctional environments can be inspired, challenged, and motivated by the work of leaders from around the world. As global approaches to incarceration continue to change, the importance of sharing our work, learning from our missteps, and building on our successes is greater than ever. More and more, the field of architecture is influenced by disciplines and practices that lie outside traditional architectural roles and competencies, and the ability to communicate across channels is essential to the continued growth of our profession. The Hub provides just the sort of potential for communication that will enhance our understanding, and our work, in a way that benefits our global community.
Check it out here:
As you will see when you visit the Hub, many of our projects share a set of common goals, but the pathways to achieving them are inevitably varied and unique. The Hub will allow architects, as well as administrators and other correctional leaders, leverage the best and most current resources available to us in the form of a primary source – the developers and contributors of the content are active participants in the online forum. This is a remarkable achievement with incredible potential to change not only how we work, but how we share it with the professional community.
As a first step, the Hub will assemble as many existing physical plant standards and guidelines that impact prison design as can be identified. In addition to providing a single location for current guidelines, the Planning and Design Network will examine the “dozen” critical guidelines (e.g., space allocation per prisoner for sleeping) that every prison department should aim to achieve, and cross reference these critical guidelines with existing minimum standards. An overarching goal of this process is to identify how and where these guidelines could be included in the UN Minimum Rules.
The Hub also seeks to be a repository of information on technology and will assemble a catalogue of essential technology for consideration by developed nations, developing nations, and post-conflict/disaster conditions.
The AAJ is the most prominent professional organization in the United States that promotes excellence in the design of justice facilities, and because of that standing makes it an ideal partner for the ICPA, and our member’s valuable contributors to the dialogue.
This is a tremendous opportunity for members of the AIA, through the AAJ and ICPA, to contribute our unique knowledge and understanding of this important subject to a global discussion focused on creating positive environments for all who visit, live, and work in correctional institutions.
Greg is a recognized thought leader in justice facility planning and design, having written and spoken extensively on restorative design concepts that positively influence the human experience. A member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Greg has served on several committees within AIA, including the Emerging Professionals, Research and Technology, and Communications subcommittees. He served as the 2018 chair of the Academy of Architecture for Justice and will chair the annual conference in 2019.
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