Bautzen Correctional Facility
Renovation of east and west wings with room for 284 inmates
Blocs I and II are an integral element of the former Royal Saxon State Penal Institution that today serves as the Bautzen Correctional Facility. Despite several additions and renovations made to the complex, the old structures of the institution are still recognizable. Blocs I and II, together with the ensemble consisting of the church, blocs III and IV, the kitchen, the laundry and the open areas are registered in the list of cultural monuments in the Free State of Saxony (as of 11/03). Bloc I, which is also designated the east-west wing, serves as Bauzen’s central prison building, with space for 284 inmates. The longitudinal facades of the east-west wing of the facility’s north side are symmetrically emphasized on the vertical axis by avent-corps with decorative gables. Rearranged staircases provide access to the five floors at a centrally located intersection and in each of the detention wings. The original, overly small prison cells were enlarged by demolishing and replacing the bearing longitudinal walls and were outfitted with separate sanitary facilities. Renovation work on the east wing was completed in 2011. The west wing is currently undergoing renovation. The window apertures in blocs I and II are constructed with sandstone jamb frames and bricked over with segmented arches of alternating red and yellow brickwork. The arches serve in part as border to the window apertures and in part as a decorative element in the facade.
Bloc II, which was originally opened in 1904 as a prison house for juvenile offenders, will be remodeled to accommodate prisoners held in preventive detention. As with bloc I, the structure retains its typical Wilhelminian-era architectural details. A projecting yellow brick facade on levels 2 and 3 sits above a granite natural stone base. In addition to therapy and building facility areas located in basement level 1, levels 2 and 3 house four residential units that can accommodate 40 detainees.
Space for additional building facilities is located in the unfinished attic level. Each residential unit has a separate communal kitchen with an adjoining open recreation area. Two inmate rooms in each level are designed in accordance ith the "Construction Guidelines for Correctional Facilities in the State of Saxony, Handicapped-Accessible Detention Cells for Two Prisoners, One of Whom is a Disabled Person" (effective January 2006). These rooms will have larger entry and bathroom doors and a larger shower area.
Due to the need to completely gut one wing of the building while continuing to operate the other wing, each of the buildings has been or is currently being remodeled in two construction phases, each of which comprises three partial construction phases. Two partial construction phases could be carried out simultaneously, while the third served to reinforce the gutted building’s outer shell. The third phase of construction was carried out once the first two phases of were complete.
In the course of completing remodeling and renovation work, the windows and exterior doors will be installed and the top level ceiling outfitted with insulation as required by the current provisions of energy savings regulations and in compliance with historic preservation requirements and the security-related requirements for correctional facilities.
