Loving Architecture: September 2009

OK... I was surfing the net, wasting time (as usual) when i came across this building in Austria which is not that interesting in the design itself (yeah.. better than any building in Amman... but that's not the point) what matters here is the function... I'll leave you with these pictures and guess by yourself what the building is for....

I like the faces on the ceiling :P

A shopping center? a recreational facility? nope, keep guessing..
OK.. it has rooms, and a pretty clean ones..

And a nice "kitchen?"...

A living room?...

A nice entrance

Still no clue?... OK these pictures will make it obvious.

A PRISON!!! A F**KING prison in Styria, Austria.. it's a burglary specific prison, according to this website comparing crime in Austria and crime in the U.S.

"According to the INTERPOL data, for murder, the rate in 2001 was 1.96 per 100,000 population for Austria, 1.10 for Japan, and 5.61 for USA. For rape, the rate in 2001 was 7.12 for Austria, compared with 1.78 for Japan and 31.77 for USA. For robbery, the rate in 2001 was 85.84 for Austria, 4.08 for Japan, and 148.50 for USA. For aggravated assault, the rate in 2001 was 2.59 for Austria, 23.78 for Japan, and 318.55 for USA. For burglary, the rate in 2001 was 1,035.60 for Austria, 233.60 for Japan, and 740.80 for USA."

You’ll notice something odd... although the U.S. has higher crime rates in virtually every category (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, etc…) the Austrians triumph in one category: burglary. But why? Why is the rate of burglaries in Austria a whopping 40% higher than in the U.S.? I’ll tell you why: because Austrian minimum security prisons are fucking awesome! If you’re in Austria, and have a working brain, you should be trying to get into one right now!

I wonder what would have happened if this was the prison of "Prison Break" (a really nice TV series, which unfortunately has ended)? would Scofield attempt to break out? or would it end from the first episode...? (OK, who cares..)

Yeah... Life can be cruel to people who aren’t in Austrian prisons...

go here for more pictures.

P.S. If any of you are planning a burglary in Austria, let me know because I’d love to come visit you at this place. (Not a friendly visit, though. Just to see it from the inside).