Cool Hunting

by Richard Dewitt

"I like to call them Sportdomes, not cages," says prison architect Willem Van der Sluis. Indeed, his unusual 2007 project in the Zaandam industrial zone in the Netherlands consists of conjoined geodesic domes that don't look like cages at all. But, these spaces, designed for playing sports, prevent soccer or basketball players from escaping; the users are inmates.

Starting with the question, "How does one design a space for a user who does not really want to be there," Van der Sluis' major contribution here is the view. Instead of regular prison yards with walls that only afford a view upwards, within the domes prisoners experience the horizon.

Pierced with small holes at the white domes' base creating a contrast not unlike Venetian blinds, the upshot is that from within the prisoners can look outside but don't have to worry about being viewed by passersby. Higher up the holes get bigger, allowing more daylight in. "I tried to give it the feel of light falling through trees in a forest," Van der Sluis explains.

The structure consists of no more than 15 triangles that form the whole dome. It's a design that can as easily be constructed as dismantled. While it may not be necessary for both the locations where the Dutch ministry of Justice uses the domes, boats house the detention centre in Zaandam. If the boats relocate after five years, the domes will move with them.

See more images after the jump.