Kaurna
South Australia
The groundbreaking Yatala Labour Prison sets a new benchmark, transforming thinking about correctional facilities. Rooted in trauma-informed design, GGA integrated a range of measures to normalise environments to reduce stress, demonstrating a deep understanding of how the physical environment affects identity, worth and healing.
Originally intended as three equal sized new buildings to accommodate the additional 270 high-security beds, GGA proposed a revolutionary Therapeutic Wing broken into smaller human-scale environments tailored to vulnerable cohorts. While adhering to high-security requirements, biophilic design principles including natural light, natural materials, acoustic treatments, nature motifs and landscape views foster wellbeing, while choice of space indoors and outdoors promotes dignity and personal agency.
The innovative split Visits Centre with dedicated family room, fosters family connections that are a vital component toward mitigating reoffending. A new Staff Wellbeing Centre, Admissions and Catering & Operations facility complete the major redevelopment to support a new era in justice.
The YLP Redevelopment increased prisoner accommodation by 270 beds and substantially enhanced amenity for staff and prisoners. The staged delivery also added facilities for staff, admissions and education, plus a new visits centre to improve the experience of prisoners and their families. GGA/GB-A worked closely with DCS to achieve aspirational outcomes informed by therapeutic design principles creating normalised environments. They also incorporated an analogue to digital security upgrade and other alterations which facilitate prisoners moving through the prison without requiring continuous officer escort. While substantially complicating the project, the architecture team remained focused and orientated towards a highly successful outcome.
Bestec, Acoustic Consultant
Bestec, Services Consultant
Chris Sale Consulting, Cost Consultant
Cini Little, Commercial Kitchen Consultant
Hospitality Management Australia, Hospitality Consultant
Oxigen, Landscape Consultant
Sarah Constructions, Builder – Early Works Package
Steed, Surveyor
Tecon, Building Surveyor
Totalspace Design, Corrections Advisor (Client-Side)
WGA, Civil Consultant
WGA, Structural Engineer
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
