A prison reformed : how can a contemporary architectural intervention be sensitively integrated into a heritage building of heavy masonry construction in order to facilitate its successful reuse?

Abstract

Heritage buildings are a resource that is often overlooked. The adaptive reuse of a building that has become redundant can lead to interesting and unique spaces, while forcing unconventional design decisions due to physical, economic and social constraints. To allow buildings to function with a new programme some level of intervention will be required, whether it be small repairs, large additions or somewhere in between. The question raised is how to make these interventions sensitive and respectful of the building’s initial design and history, while still allowing for a new function to occur. This issue has been debated since the inception of conservation as a separate topic of theory. The site selected to investigate for the sensitive integration of interventions is the former Dunedin Prison and Former Dunedin Central Police Station. Analysis of the buildings’ history, site, context, and social significance and of changing attitudes towards the buildings over time have influenced the selection of the reuse programme and the final design response. The challenge is to permit enough change to allow for a new function adding contemporary elements, while still retaining and understanding of the buildings’ original state.