ESBH – Universität Innsbruck

ESBH - Efficient and secure architectural design of prisons in Austria

The project aims to develop auditable constructional and technical standards based on social, economic and ecological sustainability in order to ensure security, order and quality of care in prisons.

Despite constant modernization measures, the structural diversity of Austrian prisons poses a challenge for the implementation of uniform standards that meet the needs of all users (prison management, employees and inmates). The interdisciplinary project team, led by the Risk and Security Management and Architecture - Green Building degree programs of the FH Campus Wien, has therefore set itself the goal in the research project Effiziente, sichere bauliche Haftgestaltung in Justizanstalten in Österreich“ (ESBH) of developing sustainable structural-technical standards that build on the status quo of the 23 prisons (court prisons and correctional facilities), are coordinated with all relevant stakeholders and incorporate the needs, problems and use cases of all user groups.

The project is divided into four work packages (WP). In WP 01 (project management), communication and coordination with project partners and the research funding agency will take place. In WP 02 (basics phase), the status quo of the 23 prisons is described qualitatively and quantitatively with regard to the number of coverings, number of employees, organizational structure, structural framework conditions and infrastructure. This work package provides all relevant national and international basics on the topics of legal framework conditions, structural-technical "good and best practices" and systemic and dynamic security in organizations. All findings of WP 02 are summarized in a report. This overview is the starting point for the selection of 9 prisons that will be analyzed in detail in WP 03. In the course of WP 03 (survey phase), the 9 selected prisons will be examined on the one hand by means of sociological methods, and on the other hand on the basis of the inventory plans and on-site inspections with regard to structural, spatial and technical conditions. The needs, problem areas and use cases of the users (managers, staff and inmates) are in the foreground. The internal processes (logistics) will be documented and evaluated from an interdisciplinary perspective (sociology, architecture, digitalization) that includes the previous project results. WP 03 will also be concluded with a report. In WP 04 (analysis and results phase), a target/actual analysis is carried out, building on the results to date, in order to derive sustainable constructional-technical standards. These will be coordinated with all relevant stakeholders and will ultimately flow into a practice-oriented planning catalogue for clients and implementers, which will form the basis for a digital certification tool.

The planning catalogue and the application-oriented certification tool enable both clients (BMJ, BMI, BIG) and contractors to carry out public tenders more efficiently and effectively and to implement future modernization measures in Austrian prisons more quickly and in line with requirements, in order to support above all the executive staff and specialist services in their central tasks.

The project is funded by the Austrian Security Research Programme KIRAS of the Austrian Ministry of Finance.