Deep Sea Purgatory

The world today faces problems of rising sea levels, rising population and a shortage of land and resources. Current models of land-based prisons are not sustainable as they are land-intensive and have a high operational cost due to high energy and manpower requirements.

With an oversupply of unused oil rigs, there is an opportunity to repurpose them into new typologies of offshore prisons that can operate from renewable sources of energy, food and water while providing a high quality of rehabilitative spaces for inmates.

Case studies of relevant prisons on prison operations, workflow and spaces formed the key determinants for layout and space in the proposed offshore models. In addition, energy systems and wastewater treatment systems relevant in an offshore setting were studied to understand key advancements and limitations in order to propose energy and waste loops so as not to pollute the marine environment.