Port Arthur Separate Prison B Wing
Project date: September 2011 - Category: Heritage , TourismThe construction of the Separate Prison based on the Pentonville system was strategically placed with the dominant structure on a rise for all to see from outside the imposing walls. The system that was enforced within the walls was that of a machine – a silent one in which those who were sentenced in the Separate Prison spent their time in solitude and silence.
After the prison was closed many of the buildings were gutted by large bushfires that raged through the site in 1895. During the twentieth century Wing A and C and the Chapel had been re-roofed and repaired, culminating in the most recent professional conservation and interpretation works.
B Wing has remained as a ruin, untouched in over 100 years.
The Separate Prison works conservation and reconstruction project was designed in stages by a team led by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (TZG).
Working to the staged concept plan and in consultation with TZG, JAWSARCHITECTS have documented B Wing as the final stage.
With many parts of the Port Arthur Site being restored and reconstructed there is a place for the retention of parts in ruin.
B Wing will be sheltered by a new steel framed translucent roof following the profile of the original, protecting the stonework and intact elements of the building.
A raised central walkway with railing limits public access to reduce damage to fragile building fabric.
Enlarged early interior images at both ends of the corridor aid interpretation of original prison use, while the translucent roofing continues the experience of the structure as ruin.
After the prison was closed many of the buildings were gutted by large bushfires that raged through the site in 1895. During the twentieth century Wing A and C and the Chapel had been re-roofed and repaired, culminating in the most recent professional conservation and interpretation works.
B Wing has remained as a ruin, untouched in over 100 years.
The Separate Prison works conservation and reconstruction project was designed in stages by a team led by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (TZG).
Working to the staged concept plan and in consultation with TZG, JAWSARCHITECTS have documented B Wing as the final stage.
With many parts of the Port Arthur Site being restored and reconstructed there is a place for the retention of parts in ruin.
B Wing will be sheltered by a new steel framed translucent roof following the profile of the original, protecting the stonework and intact elements of the building.
A raised central walkway with railing limits public access to reduce damage to fragile building fabric.
Enlarged early interior images at both ends of the corridor aid interpretation of original prison use, while the translucent roofing continues the experience of the structure as ruin.
ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:
Tonkin Zulaikha GreerSTATUS:
Construction Due 2012
