Mint green walls, lime green desk chairs, and a generous number of common areas basked in natural sunlight—not the typical description of a detention center, but it does exist.
This is how the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, a woman’s prison in San Diego, looks like after it moved to its new building in August 2014, designed by a partnership of KMD and HMC Architects.
The prison was designed to be the first detention facility of its kind in the U.S. where environmental and behavioral psychology are used to “improve the experience and behavior of both inmates and staff,” architects James Krueger and John A. MacAllister wrote in Fast Company.
“While new in the U.S., similar approaches to justice facility design have been used in countries across Western Europe for years—Leoben in Austria and Bastoy in Norway in particular have been recognized as two of the most humane prisons in the world,” they wrote.
More than 1,200 inmates can be accommodated in the facility, which is run by 278 sworn staff and 143 professional staff. The project cost $268 million and is 45 acres.
Inmates’ reentry into society was first and foremost when it came to designing the prison. A statement on the San Diego Sheriff’s Department website says that the new building design allows for implementation of new philosophies.
“[One] new operational philosophy employed at LCDRF is ‘Direct Supervision,’” the statement reads. “Under this philosophy, deputies are stationed in inmate housing areas rather than being segregated in deputy’s stations apart from the inmates. This allows for greater interaction between inmates and staff and the ability to resolve conflicts before they become more serious problems.”
Images released by Fast Company of the prison’s interiors show open spaces, where “cells” are in fact brightly colored, low-walled cubicles that seamlessly flow with common areas intended for education and programming.
According to the architects, inmates can start “upgrading” to a room and gain access to more amenities depending on their behavior as they serve time.
Courtesy of San Diego County Sheriff's Department
Courtesy of San Diego County Sheriff's Department
Courtesy of Vanir Construction Management Inc.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2023
Top 50 Justice Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner, STO Building Group, Clark Group, and CORE Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest justice facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all public safety/justice facilities buildings work, including correctional facilities, fire stations, jails, police stations, and prisons.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2023
Top 60 Justice Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
EXP, AECOM, IMEG, Dewberry, and Tetra Tech head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest justice facility engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all public safety/justice facilities buildings work, including correctional facilities, fire stations, jails, police stations, and prisons.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2023
Top 90 Justice Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
DLR Group, Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Elevatus Architecture top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest justice facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all public safety/justice facilities buildings work, including correctional facilities, fire stations, jails, police stations, and prisons.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Government Buildings | Aug 2, 2023
A historic courthouse in Charlotte is updated and expanded by Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Robert A.M. Stern Architects’ design retains the original building’s look and presence.
Government Buildings | Mar 24, 2023
19 federal buildings named GSA Design Awards winners
After a six-year hiatus, the U.S. General Services Administration late last year resumed its esteemed GSA Design Awards program. In all, 19 federal building projects nationwide were honored with 2022 GSA Design Awards, eight with Honor Awards and 11 with Citations.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
