The Body of the Prison: Tectonic Interpretation of a Maternity Prison

This thesis examines a number of historical, mythicaland theological interpretations of women and thefemale body, as perceived by the ancient Greeks andby the religious writings of Christianity andJudaism, as a means of addressing the site, program,materiality and spatial organization of a maternityprison. The setting up of a parallel spatial,material, and metaphoric association between theproductive body of the mother and the edifying bodyof the prison aims to make palpable in architecturalform the transitional internal experience of womenthrough their pregnancy and into motherhood. Themesof sin, punishment, confinement (containment), andredemption as related to women, drawn from themisogynistic connotations imposed by associationswith mythical and allegorical figures, are used toform critical spatial, symbolic and literal designrelationships between the female body and the body ofthe prison.