Anti Assimilation

My project explores the interactions of a site with an overdetermined typology, and a program resistive of this site. The site in question is the former home of Pentridge Prison in Coburg, a traditional gothic style prison in operation from 1851 all the way up to 1997. Being a prison, Pentridge has remained as an “outside of the city” condition over its lifetime, despite the urbanity of Melbourne creeping past. My project seeks to hold onto this condition while converting the site to an immigration and community centre, for the processing of visas, and the temporary housing of refugees waiting on their visas to be processed. While the Australian stance on immigration is one of integration and assimilation, my scheme questions the validity of this and looks to push against it. The project is made up of a network of intersected walls on site, which house the circulation and ground level-built form, as well as support a raised level of circulation and form for the inhabitants of the site.

The project focusses on the creation of in between spaces and intersections to accommodate these people in a peculiar condition of limbo, between two countries.