No Bar Put No Freedom

Project idea

To talk about the prison is a big challenge, an enclosed universe that has many suffering, an opaque mysterious world that is disconnected from the outside, protected by its architecture, high walls and massive gates.
The history of the Lebanese prisons started in 1919 by the French Mandate, where they built two prisons: one for murder, and the other for the defendants. The prison administration was given to the ministry of the Interior in Lebanon. The issues following the prison began to circulate around Lebanon since the Roumieh mutiny events which occurred on April 7, 1998.
Ill-treatment by security and grouping different criminals in one room without a deadline for the arrest
of the accused during the investigation of the case and settle with the drug that was circulated behind the scene are part of the reason the mutiny events happened.
The growing issue with innocent individuals being convicted for false murder is a very common problem in Lebanon. The prison system in Lebanon groups different criminals under one roof, making it a very discriminative environment for the prisoners. It is a phenomenon that must be treated by separating the different murderers; otherwise they will be corrupted from surrounding murderers.
The goal is to make this issue dissolve by building this minimum security prison that is designed for individuals with minor criminal convictions.
We should first consider the critics and factors associated with the design center of rehabilitation for such individuals.
How can we create a new system of punishment in Lebanon?
What are the right approaches that should be used with such individuals?

The concept of “No Bar but No Freedom” is to change the perpetual idea of the typical small,
dark cells with concrete walls that negatively affect the prisoner’s attitudes.

Project description

The first step to improve the prisoner’s rehabilitation process, is improving their surroundings.
Therefore, by building a fresh atmosphere, the rehabilitation process will progress at ease.

Technical information

The prison will be located in Chouit, surrounded by nature creating a sense of
contrast between beauty and roughness.
The contrast of nature- snow,trees, river,rocks,moss,blue sky, sum,night,day,birds and other animal are brought into the project as a panoramic window caries into each residential unite, and the inmates have an unrestricted view towards the landscape from the windows in there cells. contrary of living in a dark spaces, small cells that makes the life of prisoners more aggressive.

Co-authors

Under the supervision of Mr. Jean Pierre Gebarra