ESPACIO CERO is the pseudonym of israel lópez balan, a mexican creative who usually works in collaboration with other creatives, generating proposals for architecture competitions. his planning and research interests are guided by three main lines: death and its translation into architectural typologies; XL scales as a result of the urban overflow; and the synthesis of architectural objects in contemporary societies. on this occasion, the studio presents us with a project that aims to create a prison for 500 inmates to explore how architecture can help in shaping environments that influence behaviors.

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom

 

 

a central flaw with incarceration is the high rates of recidivism—or how a large number of released prisoners relapse into crime and soon end up behind bars again. the numbers vary from country to country, but the bureau of justice statistics in the united states reports that one-third of all inmates released from US prisons in 2005 were arrested again within a year. in total, more than 75% of those released were arrested again within five years. with this in mind, ESPACIO CERO asked themselves why aren’t prisons working, and what could be done to lower recidivism numbers? the built environment can have a significant impact on its inhabitants, so how can architecture be used to solve the problem?

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
the project sets the desert as a natural prison

 

 

the concept sees the desert as a natural prison, where inmates are forced to live in harsh conditions. the sentence would be for 500 inmates to move/construct a mountain, following the saying that says: ‘faith can move mountains.’ the goal is to do this as a form of social and personal therapy. in the end, a new landmark appears and hopefully, inmates will learn, change, and apply the therapy into a new behavior.

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
site plan

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
the core of typical inmate is egoism 

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
to move a mountain as the sentence 

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
having a job is the best therapy for an inmate

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
faith moves mountains 

espacio cero environments that influence behaviors faith moves mountains prison arizona designboom
a new behavior to avoid recidivism

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: juliana neira | designboom