THE ARCHITECTURE OF REENTRY

about the installation
DESIGNING JUSTICE + DESIGNING SPACES (DJDS)
ESTABLISHED 2017, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS) is a design, architecture, and real-estate enterprise working to end mass incarceration and advocating for restorative justice solutions through the built environment. The Architecture of Re-Entry proposes Mobile Refuge Rooms as a prototype for private, customizable transitional housing for people returning from carceral spaces. Configured with modular wooden units and shared lounge spaces, these rooms were designed with feedback from formerly incarcerated individuals, some of whom assisted in the prototype’s fabrication. Here, residents experience more privacy and agency than they would in the open-plan facilities of more conventional transitional housing. Designed to be easily assembled, each room comes with its own Murphy bed, desk, and storage space so that users can shape their environments during their reentry process. Intended to be paired with other essential and shared living components, such as kitchenettes and bathrooms, this kind of rehabilitative housing is most successful in a context that includes supportive services for family reunification, counseling, and workforce development.
ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES
In this gallery we will find examples of customizable transitional housing designed for people returning from carceral spaces; the designs include modular wooden units and a shared lounge space. This description will give an overview of the space, however all the rooms are touchable and should be explored.
As we enter the gallery space, we are met with an architectural model made of light wood placed on a table. The long rectangular building is two stories tall with many spaces reflecting what has been recreated here in this installation; two cube shaped pods intended for private use bedrooms connected by communal living spaces. All the rooms are labeled to illustrate intended usage. The model is behind plexiglass and is not touchable.
Moving past the display model building, we come across the first life-sized “Mobile Refuge Room”— a cube shaped pod made of plywood resembling the light wood of the miniature model. Inside is a modern room for a single person, complete with a Murphy twin bed, cabinets and closets for storage, and a desk for writing and working. The space has been personalized with the inhabitant’s personal belongings such as books, plants, and a Pluto mug.
Outside the pod is a small lounge area with a round area rug and variety of seating. The communal living space showcases a collection of artwork created by incarcerated individuals, including a series of black and white drawings on the wall.
Just beyond the sitting area, we encounter the second cube shaped pod which matches the design of the first. However, in this pod we experience some of the room’s flexibility as its Murphy bed has been folded up to make space on the floor for a tea set. Each space is styled to represent distinct individual preferences and to reflect specific career paths pursued during re-entry.
Acknowledgements
Designed by Deanna Van Buren, Shelley Davis Roberts, Jasmine Brown, Jean-Paul Zapata, Franklin Nguyen, Garrett Jacobs, and Oretola Thomas. Restoring Our Communities Roger Chung, Faculty Lead; Vincent Garrett, Adult Transitions Liaison. Intellectual Property Consultant Wayne Boatright. Fabrication by Neal’s CNC. Artwork by Barrios Unidos. Furniture by Formr.
This installation is made possible with additional support from Mellon Foundation.