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Architects: Buro Nord
- Area: 1200 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Stijn Poelstra | Maarten Meester
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Lead Architects: Maarten Meester
Text description provided by the architects. The store is one of the labor facilities in the penitentiary complex. This building takes a special place within the penitentiary regime. It is a social environment where inmates can earn some extra money and gain work experience. Important considering their resocialization after serving their sentence.
The work building consists of three zones; expedition, (grocery) shop and supporting / supervision facilities. In order to make the flexibility and adaptivity capacity of the building as great as possible, the construction consists of trusses with a large span within which the space can be freely divided. Facades and interior walls are not load-bearing and can be modified quite easily. Stability of the construction is generated by cross-braces in two directions between the columns. On the side of the expedition areas, the trusses form a canopy with a generous overhang under which loading and unloading can take place in a dry and sheltered environment.
Focus point in the design is to contribute to the inmates' perspective on life outside the walls. By turning the store into a spacious, light and comfortable space in which all security components are (invisible) integrated into the design as carefully as possible. The use of warm, robust materials has created a working environment that can withstand a knock or two, but with a comfortable appearance.
Sustainability and circularity have become a fundamental pillar in the justice housing policy in recent years. The construction of the store consists of columns and trusses made of CLT wood. The facades are made of untreated thermally modified wood and polycarbonate cladding. The plinth is made of prefabricated epoxy concrete elements.
The structure, facade and roof can be completely dismantled, so that the store can be moved to another location in the complex (or outside) over time.
