Prison education: the University of Hasselt's law campus

What better environment to prepare law students for their future careers as lawyers and magistrates than in a former prison? It’s no joke: to establish the first “city campus” of the University of Hasselt (UHasselt), barbed wire was cut from the tops of walls, and cells were redecorated as intimate study rooms. The grim, secured building of the old Hasselt prison, dating from 1860, has transformed into an open space with colourful corridors, where students hang out before and after class. Although the front of the former jail, which housed prisoners until 2005, still bears a weathered engraving saying gevangenis (prison), its doors are now wide open and a large UHasselt sign welcomes students and visitors.

Next to it, the modern administration building provides an extreme contrast, with its large windows and green glass panes creating an impression of overall transparency. The same applies to the bright yellow building behind the former prison, where groups of about 20 students are taught in brand new classrooms.

These three academic edifices form the new law faculty of UHasselt, its first campus actually located in the city. Until now, the university only had a campus at Diepenbeek, about four kilometres east of Hasselt.

Wandering around “the city”

The yellow building with classrooms is linked to the former prison through an underground tunnel. The entire city campus building project, with a surface area of 10,000 square metres for up to 1,000 students, was finished in four years. A few spots still need some attention, and a touch of green space is still being incorporated into the site. There are already a few gardens on the roofs, where students could be found enjoying this month’s autumn sun.

“The main challenge was transforming the inhospitable prison to an open space for students without losing its historical character,” says Philippe Viérin  of the Brussels-based noArchitecten. He compares the new concept of the building to that of a city environment with broader streets and large meeting points but also narrow alleys and hidden corners. “Every time you wander around, you discover new crannies,” he says.

The heart of this city is the entrance hall with a dome where a priest used to preach to the prisoners, who watched and listened from stands on the first floor. From here, four main hallways spread out to all corners of the star-shaped structure. Because the original hallways were claustrophobically low and narrow, they were completely altered. Fresh colours brighten up the atmosphere and also help students to find their way, as they can meet up in the blue, green, yellow or salmon-coloured corridors.

There are two auditoria, with 400 and 200 seats, each with large windows (to make sure the students don’t feel penned in). Large gathering places to hang out before or after classes are provided by the cafeteria and the agora, the outside courtyard where prisoners once got their exercise. Student associations are planning to use a space outside with a large stairway to organise open-air movie nights and other outdoor events.

There’s no entrance, however, to the so-called “lion’s cage”, an enclosed outdoor space where the most aggressive criminals spent their breaks in isolation. The most hidden spot in the city, meanwhile, is in the former apartment of the prison manager, where the administration team now has its offices. Somewhere here lies a passage, through which the police could enter the prison if a riot broke out.

Retreating to the (study) cells

There are several intimate spaces spread around the city campus where students can relax or talk in private, on bean bag chairs or benches. The most popular spots are, ironically, the former cells, now decorated as cosy study rooms for a maximum of three students. On the glass doors, the architects have put a series of stripes, as a cheeky allusion to prisoners counting down the days until they got out.

“We often talk about it when we study here,” says Alper Darici, 23, who is in his first year of law studies. “Now it’s a perfect place to concentrate on your books for a few hours, but it’s unbelievable to think that two people had to spend whole days in such a confined room, with only a small window high up in the wall.”

Like Darici, Dethe Gijbels – also a first-year student – retreats to the study rooms almost every day for a few hours. “You always have to hurry,” the 18-year-old says, “because they fill up quickly.”

Although both students feel comfortable in the former jail and are glad to study close to Hasselt’s centre, they share two points of criticism: the difficulty of finding the right classroom and the use of naked concrete, which sometimes feels cold. And what do the professors think? Bernard Vanheusden, specialist in environmental law, is satisfied with the update of the electronic equipment, such as touch screens, in an atmosphere that has retained historical elements as well. “There are sometimes technical teething problems, for example, with the water supply, but that’s normal in a new building of this scale,” he says. “I’m especially looking forward to the summer, when we can sit outside on the terraces of the campus and stroll to the city centre at lunch.”

Koen Santermans is the director of communications at UHasselt. “You have to remember, we are still in a start-up phase, and a few details need to be finished off,” he says. “I admit that it is difficult to find your way; we are planning to install a network of signs soon. The naked concrete will not be covered, but the hallways will be further brightened up with all sorts of decoration, to provide more of a cosy atmosphere.” In the near future, a bookshop will also open on the campus.

www.uhasselt.be

This article first appeared in Flanders Today