C.F. Møller Architects Storstrøm Prison: a prison with a human face

Storstrøm Prison, Denmark’s second-largest penitentiary, designed by C.F. Møller Architects, opened recently. It looks like a little village blending into the landscape, but in actual fact Storstrøm Prison is a high security prison that aims to set new standards in the process of social rehabilitation, starting with the architecture of the place. Mads Mandrup Hansen, the architect at C.F. Møller Architects in charge of the project, clarified its key points: a building that is integrated into its surroundings, a pleasant, safe workplace for penitentiary staff, and a place that encourages inmates to play an active role in society once their imprisonment is over.

The Storstrøm Prison complex includes ten buildings housing inmates and related activities. The cells measure 13 square metres and all have windows to let in natural light. They are organised in blocks of four to seven cells with a shared kitchen and living room where inmates can reconstruct a social community. Physical activity is an important part of the rehabilitation process, and so the prison’s outdoor areas and sports building are equipped for a number of different sports. The design of the exteriors also takes advantage of the presence of the sports facilities to introduce elements of spatial and visual variation in the landscape to contrast with the closed-in, static environment of the prison and improve the psychological well-being not only of the inmates but of the staff members who live and work with them every day.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Design: C.F. Møller Architects
Landscape: Levinsen Landskab Aps
Location: Falster, Denmark
Photos: Torben Eskerod
Aerial photos: Steen Poulsen Kriminalforsorgen

www.cfmoller.com

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