The Verge recently posted an interesting article about a group of inmates at a high-security prison in Spoleto, Italy who assisted in the design of a mini-unit floorplan called the “Freedom Room.”

The Freedom Room

You think condo units in Toronto are tiny? Imagine only having 116 square feet of space - that’s exactly how big Freedom Room is. Freedom Room features two beds, a chest of drawers, a closet, a desk, shelving, a bathroom with a toilet and shower, and an enlarged opening to let in a little daylight.

Unfortunately for inmates around the world, this design won’t be incorporated into any prison cells - it’s just too comfy. According to Lucia Castellano, the former director of the Spoleto Prison, having these designs implemented into prisons isn’t such a bad idea. She believes that this kind of living might promote a better prison “culture.”

It took about 10 years to complete a model of the Freedom Room, but it is now on display in Milan.

The Designers of Freedom Room

A group of three designers, Aldo Cibic, Tommaso Corà Marco, and Tortoioli Ricci, operating under the name Cibic Workshop, set out to design a blueprint for micro-housing for high density living, such as social housing, hostels, or temporary housing.

Cibic Workshop sought out consultation to come up with their design, and who better to seek guidance from than some of the best carpenters who live in these kind of conditions every day.

The high-security prison in Spoleto has a work program with an accessible carpentry shop for the inmates. A lot of the furniture pieces found in prisons across Italy were made by inmates in the carpentry shop at the Spoleto prison.

Toronto Uses for the Freedom Room

Would a condo full of 116 square foot units work in Toronto? We have a lot of small units, but nothing quite this tiny. Toronto’s not even close to dense enough to need this type of housing, but do you think the city will get to this point?

How about student housing? With George Brown, York, University of Toronto, and OCAD, there are many students looking for a cheap place to live. Actually, the layout of Freedom Room is probably better than a lot of student housing in the city - at least there’s a private washroom with a shower.

Will we see a condo built specifically for students to rent or even buy? It’s an interesting idea - maybe something we’ll see pop up in the near future.

All photos from Cibic Workshop